The Steelers opened up a spot on their 53-man roster today, with the team waiving running back Jonathan Ward per an official announcement.

2024 has been a wild ride for Ward. He’s been part of over 10 roster moves since August, spending time on the 53-man roster, practice squad, and as a practice squad elevation. He’s played in four games this year, logging five rushes for 22 yards. He’s a likely candidate to circle back to the Pittsburgh practice squad.

The Steelers likely opened up the roster spot to make room for a player returning from injured reserve — likely cornerback Cory Trice Jr., who practiced in full on Wednesday and needs to return to the roster ahead of Week 14.

Also in Wednesday’s roster moves, the Steelers host defensive tackle Siaki Ika for a visit. Ika played college football at Baylor before being drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.

At 6’3, 335 pounds, Ika was a popular draft prospect for teams in need of a gap-stuffing nose tackle. You can read his NFL.com draft profile from Lance Zierlein below:

Girthy interior force with heavy hands and a combative nature at the point of attack. Ika is made for gap control with his wide frame and ready anchor. While he has the potential to become a highly effective block-eater as an odd or even front nose tackle, he’s quick enough off the snap to penetrate and disrupt play design if teams try to block him one-on-one. While he’s unlikely to see passing downs, Ika does have enough athleticism and hand work to challenge the pocket from time to time. If he’s able to manage his weight, Ika could become an early starter and help improve a leaky run defense.

Ika’s NFL career has struggled to get going since he was drafted. He has yet to record an NFL tackle and was waived by the Browns ahead of the 2024 season. He has since spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Although still unsigned, Ika gives the Steelers another name to consider if their defensive line depth is tested later this season.