The Pittsburgh Steelers brought in several players on a tryout basis this week, and two of them managed to impress enough to earn spots on their 90-man offseason roster. Tight end Robert Tonyan has both a history with Aaron Rodgers and not much competition for the TE3 role (if you count rookie Riley Nowakowski as a fullback), so he has the best chance of making the final roster.
It's their other signing, linebacker/edge Jamin Davis, however, that is the far more intriguing one. After flaming out as a former first-round pick by the Washington Commanders, Davis spent time with the Vikings in 2024 and the Raiders (coached by new Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham) in 2025, where he began to transition from an off-ball linebacker to more of a hybrid role as an edge defender.
It appears that he will continue to try his hand at edge with Pittsburgh, as he has been working with their outside linebacker group. Can he turn things around before his career evaporates?
Pittsburgh Steelers take a chance on Jamin Davis as he looks to continue his NFL career
Davis was an uber-explosive athlete coming out of Kentucky back in 2021, but he never developed into an impact player for Washington before being released midway through the 2024 season. While he was a good run defender at times for the Commanders' defense, his struggles in coverage were hard to ignore.
His attempt to switch positions to more of a hybrid edge player makes sense, as his downhill explosiveness and length as a linebacker are his best attributes. His lack of agility and overall fluidity is what doomed him as an off-ball linebacker, but they aren't nearly as much of a hindrance on the edge.
Graham's familiarity with Davis from last season surely played a part in the Steelers' decision to sign him, which is a good sign for his chances of competing for a roster spot this summer. However, there may not be a harder edge room to crack in the NFL right now.
T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith (assuming he isn't traded), and Nick Herbig are all roster locks, and 2025 fourth-round pick Jack Sawyer seems unlikely to lose his spot after a solid rookie campaign. Historically, Pittsburgh has only kept four true edge players on its 53-man roster, meaning Davis would need to either beat out Sawyer or play well enough to break that precedent.
The odds are against him, but perhaps he can finally make good on his first-round pedigree.
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