The Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to be without key players for the foreseeable future, mainly Cam Heyward and Diontae Johnson, and this means they are going to have to prepare their roster accordingly to fill those voids.

Tuesday the team announced the signing of a wide receiver, Jacob Copeland, and released cornerback Luq Barcoo and running Back Greg Bell.

This per the Steelers official Twitter/X account:

We have signed WR Jacob Copeland to the practice squad and released CB Luq Barcoo & RB Greg Bell. @BordasLaw https://t.co/wbh5cdWgnA

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 12, 2023

For more information on Copeland, this is from the Steelers official website:

Copeland originally signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft. He was released by the Titans, later signing with the Minnesota Vikings during training camp. Copeland was released prior to the start of the regular season.

Copeland played at the University of Maryland in 2022 where he caught 26 passes for 376 yards and two touchdowns. Prior to that he spent four seasons at the University of Florida where he had 86 receptions for 1,366 yards and nine touchdowns.

Some might downplay the shuffling of the practice squad heading into Week 2 of the regular season, but these type of moves are typically accompanied, eventually, with moves on the 53-man roster.

Tomlin stated during his Tuesday press conference Cam Heyward will require surgery on his injured groin. While some procedures are easier to come back from than others, putting Heyward on Injured Reserve (IR), sidelining him for four weeks, makes the most sense. Depending on the severity of Diontae Johnson’s hamstring injury, an argument could be made to place Johnson on IR as well.

Fans shouldn’t forget 2022 when a hamstring injury to Ahkello Witherspoon sidelined the defensive back for almost the entire season after he was lost in the Thursday night loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 2. In other words, these injuries can linger.

Nonetheless, this is the only move of note right now, so be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the Cleveland Browns in Week 2 on Monday Night Football.