Steelers Pursuing Secondary Depth, Host Former Rival Safety: Report
A lot of the Pittsburgh Steelers players are getting some time away from the facility this week according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Balko. But Mike Tomlin and the Steelers coaching staff appear still hard at work trying to find new players to supplement the team’s current roster. One new possibility for the Steelers is safety Mark Perry.
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NFL insider Aaron Wilson reported on social media the team hosted Perry for a workout on Wednesday.
Perry spent a majority of the 2024 regular season on the New England Patriots practice squad. The safety also signed a futures contract with New England in January.
Over the past year, Perry has experienced stints with the Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans and Chicago Bears as well.
Perry went unselected from TCU in the 2024 NFL Draft. He has never played in an NFL regular season game.
Steelers Host Safety Mark Perry for Workout: Report
The Dolphins gave Perry his first NFL opportunity a couple days after last year’s draft. On3’s Wade Perry reported Miami signed Perry with a $15,000 signing bonus on April 27.
But on July 16, Miami placed the safety on the non-football injury list. Miami waived Perry as part of their final training camp roster cuts at the end of August.
Perry began the regular season on the Texans practice squad. But a couple days after Week 1, the Texans waived him.
The Patriots, though, picked him up. Perry spent the rest of the regular season in New England and signed a futures deal on January 6.
This offseason, the Patriots released Perry on April 28. The Titans claimed the safety off waivers but then released Perry on August 5.
Perry finished training camp with the Bears. Chicago waived him on August 24.
During his college career, Perry played three years at Colorado (2019-21) and then two at TCU (2022-23). He intercepted three passes in his final season with Colorado.
At TCU, Perry posted a career-high 84 combined tackles, including seven tackles for loss in 2022. He finished second for the Horned Frogs in tackles. TCU went 13-2 record that season and advanced to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
During 2023, Perry had 58 combined tackles and four pass defenses.
Steelers Safety Depth Entering Week 6
The Steelers hosted Perry a day after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers poached rookie safety Sebastian Castro from Pittsburgh.
Castro also went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft. But the Steelers appeared to like him and were stashing the rookie on their practice squad.
Per NFL rules, a team can sign any player from another organization’s practice squad if they are signing that player to the active roster. The Buccaneers signed Castro to their active roster Tuesday.
Pittsburgh’s interest in Perry appears to be as a practice squad replacement for Castro. Safety DeShon Elliott returned in Week 4, which makes additional safety depth a little less urgent for the Steelers.
The team also has safeties Juan Thornhill, Jabrill Peppers and Miles Killebrew on their active roster.
The need for depth at any position, though, can pop up out of nowhere. The Steelers also have secondary injury concerns with cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Joey Porter Jr.
After losing Castro, the Steelers don’t currently have a safety on their practice squad.
Jayden Daniels Confirms He’s Ready to Play Against Chargers After Recovering from Knee Injury
Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels could return to action when the Commanders visit the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert will be operating behind a decimated offensive line as Los Angeles looks to bounce back from a 21-18 road loss to the New York Giants.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn announced Wednesday that Daniels, who missed the past two games with a left knee injury sustained in a Sept. 11 loss at Green Bay, was cleared by the team's doctors. Daniels, wearing a knee brace, was a full participant at practice on Wednesday and sounded more than ready to return.
"If you let me tell it, I would've wanted to play two weeks ago," Daniels said. "But I guess in their eyes, probably this past weekend is when I started feeling like myself."
Daniels, who grew up in San Bernardino, would be playing an NFL game in California for the first time.
Washington wide receivers Terry McLaurin (quad) and Noah Brown (groin/knee) did not practice on Wednesday. Brown missed the past two games, and McLaurin was out last week. A surprise on the injury report was wide receiver Deebo Samuel (heel), who also missed the Wednesday session, as did cornerback Mike Sainristil (knee).
If he plays on Sunday, Daniels would be facing the NFL's third-ranked defense, as the Chargers are allowing only 270 yards per game. Linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu finished the Giants game with career highs in tackles (10), solo tackles (seven), tackles for loss (five) and sacks (four).
Washington (2-2), which trails the Philadelphia Eagles (4-0) in the NFC East, split its past two games, and offense was not an issue. Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota completed a combined 31 of 48 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.
The Commanders' offense scored 27 points last Sunday, but the defense gave up 34 in a road loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Washington's defense is ranked 24th in the NFL, allowing 356 yards per game, and 27th in opponents' passing, yielding 248.5 yards per game.
Atlanta picked up 24 first downs and gained 435 yards against Washington, going 6-for-12 on third down. According to Pro Football Focus, the Commanders missed 12 tackles.
"We've got to figure out what we're doing wrong and get it right," Washington defensive end Dorance Armstrong said. "ASAP."
The AFC West-leading Chargers (3-1) are also looking to bounce back but will have to do it without their best offensive lineman. Left tackle Joe Alt sustained a high ankle sprain in the first quarter on Sunday.
"Don't want to speculate on the degree, but likely not to play this week," coach Jim Harbaugh said of Alt. "We'll take it day by day. Doubtful this week, and we'll see about next week."
Los Angeles had already lost tackle Rashawn Slater to a season-ending patellar tendon tear. Guard Mekhi Becton (concussion protocol) was limited on Wednesday.
The Chargers signed tackle Foster Sarell to the active roster. He made three starts across 36 games with the team from 2022-25.
Herbert was hit 12 times, sacked twice and intercepted twice against the Giants. He has been sacked 12 times through four games, tied for fifth most in the NFL.
Looking ahead to opposing the Commanders, Herbert said, "They're a really veteran group and they're really well-coached and hardly ever are they out of position. They've got a lot of talented guys, a lot of guys who have been playing in some really big football games."
Los Angeles will look to improve its discipline after committing 14 penalties for 107 yards against the Giants.
Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen needs two catches to reach 1,000 for his career.
The Commanders lead the all-time series 7-5. The visiting Chargers won the most recent meeting 20-16 in 2021.
