Week 1 of the 2025-26 regular season may be here, but the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t done tweaking the fringes of their roster. Prior to Sunday’s opener against the New York Jets, general manager Omar Khan is making moves.
The primary one comes on defense. According to a September 2 report from Greg Auman of FOX Sports, longtime NFL linebacker Jon Rhattigan is signing to the practice squad.
Steelers Signing LB Jon Rhattigan Early in 2025-26 Season
“Former Seahawks and Panthers linebacker Jon Rhattigan, cut by Carolina last week, is signing with the Steelers today after a visit,” Auman’s tweet began. “Army grad is 26, a special-teams standout who has 44 tackles in four NFL seasons.”
This has since been confirmed by the Steelers on Wednesday morning. Presumably, the spot on the practice squad is freed up by the not-so-surprising cut of wide receiver Robert Woods.
Pittsburgh is also reuniting with wideout Lance McCutcheon, who was waived late last month. To make room for him, offensive lineman Aiden Williams was released from the practice squad.
This marks the third stop for Rhattigan in as many years. The former Army standout originally joined the Seattle Seahawks in 2021 as an undrafted free agent. He spent three campaigns with Seattle, amassing 32 tackles in 36 regular-season contests. A 2022 injury limited his availability for a while, seeing him land on the injured reserve list.
After playing in all 17 games for the Seahawks in 2023, Rhattigan was scooped up by the Carolina Panthers last year. He went on to play in all but one game a season ago, recording 12 tackles. He was released on August 26 at the mandatory roster cutdown deadline.
Despite his experience, Rhattigan is almost exclusively a special teams piece. He has 1,018 career snaps in that realm, as opposed to just 20 on defense. According to Pro Football Focus, he posted a sparkling 84.5 special teams grade in 2022 but that figure has dropped to 71.5 and 53.4 in consecutive years.
At the least, Rhattigan is a versatile piece who can be elevated for game days if needed.
Pittsburgh Defense Eyeing Another Productive Campaign
It’s safe to say this pickup won’t make or break the 2025-26 Steelers defense. With that said, a franchise can never have too much organizational depth. Rhattigan, at some point, may be counted on to help bolster a unit that ranked eighth in scoring and 12th in yards surrendered a year ago.
Advanced metrics also liked Teryl Austin’s 2024 defense. Pittsburgh ranked 10th in EPA/play allowed, per SumerSports, last season. That was a direct byproduct of suffocating run defense (No. 7 EPA/play) and a respectable pass defense (13th). Things are expected to remain that way, at worst, this year.
In the secondary, things look vastly different in the best of ways. Out is All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, which is a bummer, but in are players like cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay Jr. The Steelers anticipate a more well-rounded defensive backfield, which should pair with a productive pass rush to deliver results.
The early-season effectiveness of that pass rush could be altered, however. T.J. Watt remains entrenched (and on a new deal), but Cameron Heyward isn’t fully committing to playing in Week 1. Additionally, rookie lineman Derrick Harmon is out as he recovers from a knee injury. Neither development is the end of the world, although both are worth monitoring.
Regardless, things are still looking up for the Steelers.
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