Pittsburgh Steelers announce two roster moves in early stages of training camp

Training camp is underway and the Pittsburgh Steelers are already making some moves.

First, the team announced they’ve signed former Notre Dame wide receiver Javon McKinley on Monday.

“The Steelers signed receiver Javon McKinley on Monday,” announced the franchise. “McKinley was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted rookie free agent following the 2021 NFL Draft. He spent the majority of the 2021 season on the Lions practice squad but was released by the team in May.”

The pass catcher suited-up for the Fighting Irish from 2016-2020, catching 53 passes for 985 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. His best season came in 2020, when McKinley caught 42 passes for a team-high 717 yards and three touchdowns.

Additionally, the Steelers announced they waived defensive end Tyree Johnson. The former Texas A&M defender will be taking his talent elsewhere it seems.

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Meanwhile, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin discussed what life post-Ben Roethlisberger has looked like before the Steelers opened camp this week. He says it’s equally frightening and exciting because of everything that comes with it.

“It is scary because it’s the unknown. We’re venturing into new territory that we haven’t been (in) in a long time from a quarterback perspective. At least for me personally, obviously. I’ve always done the job with him,” said Tomlin. “(It’s) exciting also just because, from a competitive standpoint, you embrace challenges. You’re excited about the anxiety associated with that uncertainty.”

The duo had an incredibly successful 15 seasons together. Tomlin and Roethlisberger led the Steelers to a Super Bowl XLIII victory in 2008. They also never finished any worse than .500 in a season with ‘Big Ben’ under center.

Mike Tomlin reminisced on the moments he had with Roethlisberger over their years of training camps. He said his quarterback went out of his way to be comfortable during their travels before the season.

“I enjoy being in Ben’s room. Ben is one of those guys that brought the comforts of home to Latrobe, (Pennsylvania). He spared no expense,” said Tomlin. “I walked in that room today and I laughed because Cam Heyward is in that room now (and) it’s less comfortable.”

Tomlin will be in an all-new position when he has to choose a starting quarterback for Pittsburgh this season. Between Mitchell Trubisky, Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph, he’ll have his options. However, none of them will be the eventual first-ballot Hall of Famer. It may take some time to adjust in Pittsburgh but, for Tomlin, that’s the exciting part of it all.