Antoine Brooks, Deon Cain added to practice squad as Steelers fill 14 of 16 spots

Chris Adamski
Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020 5:55 p.m. | Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020 5:55 p.m.

Safety Antoine Brooks was one of 14 players added to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad Sunday. Brooks was the Steelers’ sixth-round pick out of Maryland and was the only drafted rookie who did not make the camp-ending 53-man active roster set Saturday.

The lone draft pick that did not make the active roster, Antoine Brooks Jr., was among 14 players the Pittsburgh Steelers added to their practice squad Sunday.

A safety out of Maryland taken in the sixth round, Brooks was among 27 players the Steelers cut by a league-imposed deadline Saturday to trim their 80-player camp roster down to 53. After all players involved cleared waivers, they could be added to what is an expanded practice squad in 2020 under the terms of the newly-signed NFL/NFLPA collective bargaining agreement.

Previously, practice squads were limited to 10 players. The Steelers left two spots open under the 16 maximum, likely to allow the waivers process to play out for some players. Quarterback Devlin Hodges is expected to fill one of the two available spots, assuming he clears waivers, after he was released Sunday to make room for the addition of Josh Dobbs.

#Steelers brought back a pair of veterans of past seasons on Sunday, signing quarterback Josh Dobbs and safety Sean Davis. https://t.co/W5TYn2smu3

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) September 6, 2020

All of the other 13 players named to the practice squad Sunday were part of the Steelers’ recently-completed training camp at Heinz Field. The only undrafted rookies to make it were cornerback Trjan Bandy and punter Corliss Waitman. Veteran safety Curtis Riley – a late signee to camp – was added to the practice squad hours after the Steelers announced his release from the 53-man roster to make room for the return of safety Sean Davis.

Waitman’s addition was a curious one, particularly with reports the Steelers are interested in former Kansas City Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt as an alternative to longtime incumbent Jordan Berry.

A pair of first-year offensive tackles signed after the XFL folded this spring – Anthony Coyle and Jarron Jones – were also added to the Steelers’ practice squad.

The eight others signed to it were part of the organization dating back to at least some point last season: receivers Deon Cain and Amara Darboh, running back Trey Edmunds, offensive tackle and 2019 seventh-round pick Derwin Gray, defensive linemen Daniel McCullers and Henry Mondeaux, tight end Kevin Rader and veteran outside linebacker Jayrone Elliott.

McCullers has been with the Steelers since he was drafted in 2014.

This year, the new CBA has loosened rules for practice-squad eligibility. It also allows for teams to protect four practice-squad players from other teams each week, and for two practice-squad players to be “called up” to the gameday roster each week.

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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.