Daequan Hardy walked into the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room Wednesday and saw some familiar faces. At Penn State, he played with Joey Porter Jr. and Pat Freiermuth. This summer with the Buffalo Bills, one of his teammates was safety Daryl Porter Jr.

The person that Hardy had the longest history with, though, could be found in the head coach’s office.

A Penn Hills graduate, Hardy has known Mike Tomlin since the young defensive back was in the eighth grade, he said on the heels of being signed to the Steelers’ practice squad.

“I’m cool as (crap) with him,” Hardy said.

Hardy played on 7-on-7 teams with Tomlin’s sons. Now, Tomlin is his boss.

“It’s going to be a little weird, but I’m up for the challenge and happy to be here,” Hardy said.

The Steelers had an opening for a defensive back on the practice squad when they cut Beanie Bishop on Monday. They brought in Hardy for a workout Tuesday and signed him to fill the void, giving him Bishop’s locker and uniform number 31. At 5-foot-9, 178 pounds, Hardy has the frame of a slot cornerback, but he said he can play safety and outside corner if needed. He also has experience as a returner.

“This is a dream come true,” Hardy said. “I wanted to be here, and I’m just happy to finally be here.”

Hardy continues to live in Penn Hills in the offseason and described his family as “diehard” Steelers fans.

“They can’t wait to get my jersey,” he said.

As a senior at Penn Hills, Hardy was the TribLive High School Sports Network football player of the year. At Penn State, he played in 48 games over five seasons and returned two punts for touchdowns. He also had five interceptions among 25 pass breakups.

Hardy visited the Steelers ahead of the 2024 draft but was taken in the sixth round by Buffalo. He was cut in training camp and spent last season on the Bills’ practice squad. This year, he was cut again late in camp, signed back to the practice squad but cut again a few days later.

Hardy had a workout with the Miami Dolphins last month.

“I’ve got to get up to speed with the other guys,” Hardy said as he prepared for his first practice with the Steelers. “I’m looking forward to that.”

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