The Steelers have shuffled their roster on Tuesday afternoon. Per a team announcement, Pittsburgh has placed linebacker and special teams ace Tyler Matakevich on injured reserve. The team also signed defensive backs James Pierre and D’Shawn Jamison to the practice squad, releasing wide receiver Shaquan Davis and cornerback Zyon Gilbert from the practice squad in a corresponding move.
Matakevich suffered a hamstring injury in the Steelers’ Week 2 win over the Denver Broncos. It is unclear how long he will be out for. His move to IR opens up a spot on the Steelers’ 53-man roster.
The Pierre practice squad signing was announced earlier today. It’ll be the cornerback’s second stint with the Steelers, and he’s expected to contribute on special teams.
Jamison, the team’s other practice squad addition, went undrafted in 2023 out of Texas, signing with the San Francisco 49ers. The 5’9, 186-pound defensive back ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash at his pro day. His final collegiate season, he recorded 22 total tackles, two interceptions, and seven passes defensed.
His NFL.com scouting report by Lance Zierlein reads as follows: “Undersized perimeter cornerback with good ball skills and the talent to handle full-time return duties if he makes a team. Jamison carries the athletic profile of an NFL player with twitchy feet, loose hips and make-up speed to run down mistakes. He might need to move inside, where he will have to prove he can stay connected to route runners without playing from his desired side-shuffle technique. The route anticipation is nothing special, but his ball skills and competitiveness might be good enough to create a roster opportunity as a backup with return talent.”
Jamison was waived during cutdowns in 2023, but he was picked up by the Carolina Panthers, appearing in 15 games last season. He recorded 10 total tackles and one pass defensed, as well as two kick returns for a total of 40 yards (22 yard long).
The Steelers replaced wide receiver Shaquan Davis and cornerback Zyon Gilbert with Pierre and Jamison. Now, the Pittsburgh practice squad has five defensive backs and three receivers. You can view the full roster here.
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