Marcus Allen, drafted as a safety before being converted to inside linebacker last season, signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday.

Allen was an exclusive rights free agent.

Allen, 24, got his first significant playing time in 2020, his third NFL season. A safety at Penn State, Allen was little used in his first two years with the Steelers and was converted to inside linebacker in training camp.

Allen played in subpackages and made two starts in December because of injuries to Devin Bush and Robert Spillane and a trip to the reserve/covid-19 list for Vince Williams. Allen appeared in 14 games overall and played 20% of the defensive snaps while also playing special teams.

For the season, Allen had 24 tackles (16 solo), two tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. He also had six tackles on special teams.

The signing of Allen leaves Spillane as the only exclusive rights free agents remaining for the Steelers. Exclusive rights free agents have no bargaining power and tend to sign for the NFL minimum salary.

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