Clifton Geathers takes on the Steelers' offensive line in his first practice

Steelers' new defensive end Clifton Geathers made an impression in his first practice with his new team.

In a rare late-season dust-up, Geathers announced he was on the team to compete. That's more an occurrence in training camp, but the newcomer Geathers took on the majority of the Steelers' offensive line midway through practice. Punches were thrown and Geathers said he was just playing hard. But when some players went to the ground, this incensed guard Ramon Foster.

"I understand he's new here and working his butt off, but we just played 96 snaps Sunday,'' Foster said. "So, there's no sense in doing that in practice right now. And I saw him push one of our guys to the ground, and I lost it. We'll deal with that, and everything else is left out on the practice field.''

Geathers was signed on Monday to fill the roster spot vacated when veteran defensive end Brett Keisel was placed on injured reserve. Geathers was a sixth-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2010 and he has played on seven other NFL teams since then.

Steelers' coach Mike Tomlin said Geathers may see playing time on Sunday when the Steelers take on the Cincinnati Bengals. Keisel played the majority of each game's snaps this season. Rookie defensive end Stephon Tuitt suggested on Wednesday that he expects to start in the game.