Beanie Bishop, Robert Woods, DeMarvin Leal among those on Steelers’ initial practice squad

Welcome back, recently cut Pittsburgh Steelers.

Of the 37 players cut from the 90-man camp roster in the lead up to Tuesday’s league-mandated deadline, 16 were back with the team and at practice Wednesday after they were added to the practice squad.

The entire initial practice squad consists of players who spent training camp with the Steelers. It includes four veterans who have spent at least one full prior season on the Steelers active roster: cornerbacks Beanie Bishop and James Pierre, outside linebacker DeMarvin Leal and offensive tackle Dylan Cook.

Thirty-three year-old receiver Robert Woods is most prominent among league veterans acquired by the Steelers in recent months who begin the regular season on the practice squad. Running back Trey Sermon and cornerback D’Shawn Jamison also fall into that category.

While no undrafted rookies made the 53-man roster for only the third time over the past eight seasons, five were added to the practice squad: safety Sebastian Castro, cornerback Daryl Porter, tight end JJ Galbreath and wide receivers Max Hurleman and Ke’Shawn Williams.

Hurleman was signed off a tryout at rookie minicamp in May, and Porter wasn’t signed until two weeks into training camp.

Players with no accrued NFL tenure — and no regular-season game appearances — who have exhausted rookie eligibility and are on the Steelers’ initial 2025 practice squad are defensive lineman Kyler Baugh, outside linebacker Julius Welschof, offensive lineman Steven Jones and running back Lew Nichols.

Per NFL rules, only six of the 16 practice-squad spots can be filled by NFL players with unlimited pro experience. The others must be first- or second-year players.

Players on a practice squad are free to be signed by any other team to its 53-man active roster at any time. Players can be elevated to the gameday roster up to three times in a season before they must be added to the 53-man roster, and teams can elevate only two such players for any given game.

Woods is a 13-year veteran who was given a $745,000 bonus to sign in May, but he lost out on the No. 5 WR job to Scotty Miller. Bishop made six starts and appeared in all 17 games last season after making the team as an undrafted rookie. Pierre has played in 81 of the Steelers’ 84 regular-season games since he made the team as an undrafted free agent in 2020, and Leal was a 2022 third-round pick who has been converted from the defensive line.