Shorthanded at offensive tackle due to injuries to Broderick Jones and now Calvin Anderson, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced a couple of roster moves on Wednesday.
The Steelers signed practice squad offensive tackle Dylan Cook to the 53-man roster after placing Anderson on Injured Reserve. Also, they signed veteran offensive tackle David Sharpe to the practice squad, cutting ties with practice squad running back Trey Sermon as the corresponding move.
Cook made his NFL debut on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14, playing 13 snaps after taking over for the injured Andrus Peat. The former college quarterback-turned-offensive tackle earned praise from head coach Mike Tomlin for his preparation, stepping in for Peat, who suffered a concussion against the Ravens.
The former undrafted free agent was elevated from the practice squad last Saturday ahead of the matchup with the Ravens due to the injury Anderson suffered in practice. Previously, Cook was on the Steelers’ 53-man roster as a reserve offensive tackle throughout the 2023 season. The 2024 season was expected to be another step forward for him, but an injury limited him, and he spent time on the practice squad.
The Steelers then cut him after training camp this summer, but brought him back to the practice squad, leading to his debut last Sunday.
Anderson suffered a knee injury in practice last Wednesday and then didn’t practice Thursday or Friday before being ruled out for the game against the Ravens. Now, he’s on Injured Reserve, which will keep him out for the rest of the regular season.
Sharpe previously visited the Steelers last Friday as they were dealing with injuries at the position. Sharpe has played in 46 career NFL games. Sharpe has bounced around the NFL, spending time with the Raiders, Texans, Ravens, Jets, Washington, and, most recently, the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers previously released the veteran offensive tackle on December 2.
He measured in at 6062, 343 pounds coming out of Florida in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Sermon played in four games for the Steelers this season, bouncing between the practice squad and the 53-man roster. He played just one offensive snap on the year, but was a valuable special teams member when elevated to the active roster. Sermon played 47 special teams snaps and had two kick returns for 51 yards for the Steelers.
The veteran running back was elevated from the practice squad twice and then was signed to the 53-man roster ahead of the Week 9 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. He was later waived from the roster as the Steelers needed to make room for rookie QB Will Howard coming off the Reserve/Injured list, and ultimately landed back on the practice squad in Pittsburgh after clearing waivers.
