The Pittsburgh Steelers have been diligently trimming their roster since the 2023 NFL season ended. They cut ties with players who were expected to be released, but not necessarily at the time of their dismissal from the team. To date, here are some names of players who were released from the team who had a role within the organization last year:

• QB Mitch Trubisky
• C Mason Cole
• OT Chuks Okorafor
• P Pressley Harvin III
• S Keanu Neal

Throughout all of those transactions, the Steelers created just over $10 million dollars of salary cap space before the new league year begins next week. But that doesn’t mean they were done making moves.

The Steelers are reportedly releasing CB/S Patrick Peterson, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter:

Steelers are releasing eight-time Pro-Bowl CB Patrick Peterson, per sources. pic.twitter.com/z1BYPzaUXy

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 8, 2024

The move saves the Steelers just shy of $6 million dollars in cap space after displacement, moving their total cap space available to around $16 million dollars.

The Steelers relied on Peterson last year to help get Joey Porter Jr. acclimated to life as a professional, and to be a stable force in the back half of the secondary. When the Steelers safety position was decimated by injury, Peterson was able to flex to a deep safety role, but never truly looked comfortable in that setting.

Peterson’s age prevents him from being an every down defensive back entering 2024, and was likely a large reason, combined with his salary cap hit, for his release. With the safety market saturated with quality players about to hit the market next week, the Steelers likely saw the window open for them to improve at the position, whether it be at cornerback or safety.

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the new league year to begin next week.