It was likely a priority over the coming offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers to get younger along their defensive line. An unfortunate circumstance began that process a little earlier.
Chris Wormley was placed on injured reserve because of a knee injury that requires surgery, ending his season. The 29-year-old, six-year NFL veteran is a pending unrestricted free agent and part of a position group that has five players with at least six seasons of NFL experience.
Taking Wormley’s spot on the active roster — and, presumably, the playing-time rotation — will be Jonathan Marshall, who was signed off the New York Jets’ practice squad Wednesday. A sixth-round pick in 2021, Marshall appeared in four games and played 76 defensive snaps as a rookie. But he was cut at the end of this past training camp and spent the past 14 weeks on the practice squad.
“I am very excited,” Marshall said from the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex locker room Thursday. “It’s just a chance for me to come out and basically show a reason why I am in the NFL.”
The 6-foot-3, 310-pound Marshall played nose tackle at Arkansas but could be deployed in a variety of roles for the Steelers. His acquisition is reminiscent of the signing last year of Montravius Adams off the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad during Week 13 of last season.
Adams impressed down the stretch, and the Steelers signed him to a two-year deal over the spring, ultimately promoting him to starter at nose tackle.
The predraft reports on Marshall indicated his strength is run defense, an area in which the Steelers have struggled the past two games.
Need an athletic nose tackle on Day 3 in the 2021 draft? @RazorbackFB’s Jonathan Marshall is your guy pic.twitter.com/VTlWaEgwT4
— Chris Trapasso (@ChrisTrapasso) March 31, 2021
“I’ve got to get in, get to work, study the playbook, do everything I can to get on it,” Marshall said.
“First step to me is to just get to work, show everybody here what I can do and display my talents.”
Wormley is in his third season with the Steelers, acquired via a rare trade with the division-rival Baltimore Ravens in 2020 and signed to a two-year extension the following spring. Wormley had 8½ sacks among his 88 tackles (45 solo, 10 for loss) in 41 games for the Steelers, including a half-sack during Sunday’s loss to Baltimore. Wormley suffered his injury during the third quarter of that game.
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