As expected, Pittsburgh Steelers release several players after NFL Draft additions

At the conclusion of the 2017 NFL Draft, Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin addressed the media. During that media session Colbert talked about how they will be adding several players as undrafted free agents. When this happens, the team will have to trim their roster to create room for those players.

The Steelers signed 9 undrafted rookie free agents after the draft, which meant cuts were looming for several members of the team. And on Tuesday, the team released a handful of players.

The following players are no longer with the organization:

RB Brandon Brown-Dukes
RB Gus Johnson
WR Canaan Severin
CB Al-Hajj Shabazz

Shabazz might be the biggest surprise on this list, as he actually finished the 2016 season on the team’s 53-man active roster. Severin could be considered another surprise. The big receiver was placed on injured reserve after injuring his shoulder during training camp, but the team kept him around for a reason.

However, after drafting Cameron Sutton and Juju Smith-Schuster, both players became expendable at their respective positions.

The same could likely be said about the duo of running backs who were released, and the team drafting James Conner in the 3rd round of the selection process. Nonetheless, the Steelers are doing right by these players by letting them go early to allow them to try and find an NFL home somewhere else.

With rookie minicamp coming up in the next few weeks, there is a strong chance the team’s roster will continue to fluctuate with injuries and players being released from other NFL organizations.

Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest on everything related to the Pittsburgh Steelers.