There's a running motto around the league that the NFL stands for 'not for long'. Over the next few weeks, hundreds of players will be out of jobs. Unfortunately, this harsh reality is kicking in for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On Monday, following the preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Steelers waived/injured tight end DJ Thomas-Jones and Cameron McCutcheon, the team announced on X. Their spots on the roster have already been replaced by TE Kevin Foelsch and defensive back Mikey Victor.
Thomas-Jones had a scare early in training camp when it was feared he had suffered a torn Achilles tendon. Though he avoided the dreaded injury, the versatile tight end/fullback was waived with an injury designation.
However, it was early preseason star Cameron McCutcheon who suffers a disheartening blow after the promise he showed against the Jaguars.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were already forced to cut preseason standout Cameron McCutcheon
McCutcheon was a lesser-known player on the Steelers' 90-man roster entering training camp, but the big cornerback's strong camp performance carried over into Week 1 of the NFL preseason. The small-school experiment out of Western Carolina of the FCS was looking to stick around... and he had the traits to do so.
Though McCutcheon only has average speed, he measured in at 6'1'' and 204 pounds with 33-inch arms at his 2023 Pro Day. McCutcheon also showed off his flexibility and change of direction with a 6.89 3-cone drill.
During his first preseason game with the Pittsburgh Steelers, McCutcheon made his presence felt when he intercepted a pass deep down the field. However, this pick was negated by a fictitious roughing the passer call.
That didn't stop the young cornerback from earning the top defensive grade on the team. Though he played just 14 snaps, McCutcheon didn't allow a catch or target on 11 coverage snaps while also making an impressive play on the football that was brought back. This helped him earn a 93.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus—the highest of any player (offense or defense) from both the Steelers and the Jaguars.
McCutcheon possesses the skill set the Pittsburgh Steelers look for at the cornerback position. He's a long, physical CB with man-coverage chops. While the path to make the 53-man roster would have been daunting—considering the flux of cornerback depth—McCutcheon at least had a chance to play for a spot on the practice squad or even be poached by another team on roster cutdowns.
Sadly, the big cornerback pulled up lame with a right hamstring injury while running down a punt on special teams in the third quarter. For a player already on the outside of an NFL roster looking in, things just got a whole lot more difficult.
It only took one preseason injury for the Steelers to give up on this promising cornerback. Let's hope he can get healthy and land back on his feet with another organization.