Strength and conditioning coach leaves the Steelers, and five players are signed to reserve/future deals.

 

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Tuesday that five players had signed reserve/future contracts, continuing their offseason roster replenishment.

The three newcomers are cornerbacks. All five of them were members of the Steelers practice squad for at least a portion of the previous season:

.David Perales, an outside linebacker, was signed as an undrafted rookie free agency shortly after the draft and played mostly on the practice squad for the whole season. Perales finished 33 FBS games with 22 ½ sacks for Fresno State.

• Cornerback After being selected by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Kalon Barnes has played for six different teams. He spent 11 days in September with the Pittsburgh Steelers. As a rookie, he donned uniforms for the Minnesota Vikings for two regular-season games.

After being selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. has played in 11 games (one start) during the regular season. He last appeared in a game while on the Cleveland Browns practice squad. In November, inside linebacker Tyler Murray made for a fascinating story when he claimed to have left his job at an Amazon warehouse to accept a contract offer from the Pittsburgh Steelers for their practice squad. Tyler Murray was cut six days later.

• The Steelers signed versatile four-year NFL veteran cornerback Josiah Scott to their practice squad just prior to the start of the regular season. However, Scott ended up on the practice-squad injured list and ended up playing four games during the midseason for the Philadelphia Eagles. Over the course of the last four seasons, Scott has played 39 games for the Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars. Teams are allowed to have a maximum of 90 players on their offseason rosters and during the preseason.

S&C coach departs

The bio of head strength and conditioning coach Marcel Pastoor, who was an assistant from 2001 to 2011, has been removed from the Steelers’ official website. Pastoor, who has been with the team for 23 years, announced his departure on social media. Steelers fans, especially those who have watched training camp practices at Saint Vincent, may remember Pastoor from his time spent working out with players as a de facto extra quarterback during drills.

Pastoor posted on LinkedIn, saying, “I am ready for a change. I have been unbelievably gifted to work for the greatest company, greatest owners, coaches, and staff for the past 23 years.”