Report: Steelers signing LB Kyron Johnson to practice squad

The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing former Eagles linebacker Kyron Johnson this week heading into the bye with a 3-2 record, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero. Johnson, a 2022 draftee out of Kansas, played one season for Philadelphia last year, accumulating eight tackles in 16 games played. The Eagles released him on Oct. 3, freeing him to sign with another team.

The Arlington, Texas native was at Kansas for five seasons from 2017 to 2021. He had a career-high 63 tackles with 6.5 sacks as a senior. His resume was enough to catch the attention of the Eagles during the 2022 NFL Draft. He went No. 181 overall in the sixth round to Philadelphia.

On Tuesday, the Steelers also added running back Jack Colletto to the practice squad. In a corresponding move, they released running back Zander Horvath. Colletto previously signed a deal with the 49ers practice squad in August.

The Steelers have two weeks to prepare for their next opponent – the L.A. Rams. It will be a 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff when they return to action on Oct. 22.

Byron Leftwich reaches out to Steelers

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich has reached out to the Pittsburgh Steelers about joining their coaching staff, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic.

Unfortunately for Leftwich, his plea was to no avail. Pittsburgh is “pretty much ignoring him,” a sign they have no interest in bringing him in to fix the league’s 30th-ranked offense under Matt Canada.

Leftwich played quarterback for the Steelers under head coach Mike Tomlin across two stints (2008, 2010-12). The 43-year-old spent the previous four seasons as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator, winning a Super Bowl in 2020. With Tom Brady under center that season and in 2021, the Buccaneers owned one of the league’s best offenses.

In 2022, however, the Buccaneers struggled immensely on offense. Tampa Bay averaged just 18.4 points per game and had the NFL’s worst rushing attack, averaging 76.9 yards per game. After winning the NFC South and falling to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card, Leftwich was fired.

The Steelers certainly have their offensive issues, with offensive coordinator Matt Canada coming under fire on seemingly a weekly basis. Despite picking up a 17-10 Week 5 victory over the Baltimore Ravens Sunday, fans at Acrisure Stadium still chanted in unison, “Fire Canada.” At the time of the chant, the Steelers were down 10-3.

On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this report.