By Lydia Jane Allison
Dec 22, 2023
The Pittsburgh Steelers have made several roster moves for this week’s matchup with the Bengals.
Defensive back Elijah Riley was activated from the Reserve/Injured List to the 53-man roster and linebacker Kyron Johnson was signed to the 53-man roster from the practice squad.
In addition, linebacker Myles Jack and safety Eric Rowe were elevated from the practice squad to the Active/Inactive Roster for the game and will revert back to the practice squad after the game.
Riley, who no longer has an injury designation for the game, was placed on the Reserve/Injured List on November 20 after suffering an injury in the Steelers Week 11 game against the Cleveland Browns.
Riley has played in 10 games this season and has seven tackles, including three solo stops, one sack and two tackles for a loss, as well as two special teams tackles
Johnson was originally signed to the practice squad on Oct. 10. He was elevated to the Active/Inactive roster for the Week 13 game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Week 14 game against the New England Patriots and the Week 15 game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Johnson was drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He played in 16 games last season, mainly on special teams.
Jack was signed to the practice squad on Nov. 20. Jack, who was most recently with the Philadelphia Eagles before informing them he was going to retire before the start of the season, is no stranger to the Steelers. He originally signed with the team as an unrestricted free agent in the 2022 offseason.
Jack spent one season with the Steelers before being released at the beginning of free agency in 2023. Jack played in 15 games in 2022, starting 13. He finished the season with a team-high 104 tackles, 61 of them solo stops. He had three tackles for a loss and three passes defensed.
Jack spent six seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, starting 83 of the 89 games he played in with the Jaguars. In his six seasons he recorded 511 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, three interceptions, 15 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns.
Rowe was signed to the practice squad on Nov. 20. He is in his ninth season in the NFL.
He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He has since spent time with the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins and most recently the Carolina Panthers.
He played in 62 games with 38 starts. He has amassed 300 tackles, including six tackles for a loss, three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, and two sacks.
On Thursday the team released running back Anthony McFarland Jr.
McFarland spent time on the Reserve/Injured List earlier this year and has only played in three games this season.
McFarland was drafted by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
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