Steelers promote Trey Sermon to active roster, elevate Mark Robinson vs. Chargers

The Pittsburgh Steelers added veteran Trey Sermon to the active roster Saturday, allowing the special-teams contributor to be in uniform for Sunday’s game at the Los Angeles Chargers.

A running back by trade who was once a third-round pick, Sermon has taken only one offensive snap for the Steelers this season after getting signed off a tryout at rookie minicamp in May. He’s been on the practice squad all throughout the regular season so far, and league rules limit a player to three elevations from the practice squad to a gameday roster, so if the Steelers wanted to deploy Sermon further it was necessary for him to be added to the 53-man roster.

Room on the roster was made Thursday when outside linebacker DeMavin Leal was waived. After clearing Saturday, Leal was re-signed to the practice squad.

Also elevated for Sunday’s game was linebacker Mark Robinson, another special-teams standout. Robinson spent his first three NFL seasons with the Steelers, who’d drafted him in the 2022 seventh round. He appeared in all 34 of the Steelers’ games the past two seasons but was released at the end of training camp in favor of rookie Carson Bruener.

Robinson since spent three games each with the New England Patriots and New York Jets as a practice-squad elevation but was waived by the Jets three weeks ago.

Of note that amid the Steelers’ Saturday roster moves was not an activation of rookie quarterback Will Howard. The sixth-round pick must come off of injured reserve by Wednesday or is out for the season.