After it had been rumored last week, the Steelers are officially bringing back inside linebacker Myles Jack as the team announced his is joining the practice squad. Additionally, the Steelers added safety Eric Rowe.

We have signed S Trenton Thompson to the active roster, signed LB Myles Jack & S Eric Rowe to the practice squad and placed S Elijah Riley on the Reserve/Injured List. @BordasLaw https://t.co/dXNNuxFdF4

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 20, 2023

Singing with the Steelers for the 2022 season as a street free agent, Myles Jack spent his first seven seasons in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team who drafted him in the second round in 2016. Jack appeared in 15 games for the Steelers last season with 13 starts and had 104 tackles with three passes defensed.

In a move based partly on an inflated second-year salary cap number, Jack was released by the Steelers just ahead of the start of the 2023 league year. Signing with the  Eagles during training camp, Jack didn’t spend much time in Philadelphia as he retired this past August.

Last Thursday, probably at the request of Jack, the Philadelphia Eagles released Jack who was on the Reserve/Retired List. Now that he has cleared waivers, Jack is free to sign with any NFL team he chooses which appears to be with a Pittsburgh Steelers.

With only two inside linebackers on the 53-man roster to start last week in Elandon Roberts and Mark Robinson, the Steelers  have been put in a precarious situation with the season-ending injuries to Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander. The Steelers signed Mykal Walker to the 53-man roster last Saturday ahead of their Week 11 game and also elevated Tariq Campbell from the practice squad. With one of the biggest concerns when it comes to the Steelers inside linebackers being communication, bringing back a veteran who is familiar with the Steelers defense is a wise insurance policy.

Whether or not Myles Jack stays on the Steelers practice squad or is utilized at all during the 2023 season remains to be seen. With Elandon Roberts and Mykal Walker stepping up for the defense in Week 11, the Steelers may be fine at the position. But if another injury were to occur, the Steelers could be put in an even more difficult situation so being proactive about their available options is a wise move.

As for safety Eric Rowe, he was a second-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015. After one season in Philadelphia, he was traded to the New England Patriots where he spent the next three seasons. Rowe was a 2019 free agent signing of the Miami Dolphins where he spent the last four seasons and started 39 of 63 games while having nearly 300 tackles and three interceptions. Rowe played 569 defensive snaps for Miami in 2022. Testing free agency in 2023, Rowe landed with the Panthers but did not make the roster and instead was signed to the Carolina practice squad but was released three weeks later.

On top of the additions of Jack and Rowe, the Steelers promoted Trenton Thompson to the 53-man active roster, and placed Elijah Riley, who suffered a high ankle sprain in the loss Sunday, on Injured Reserve (IR). Thompson played 58 defensive snaps on Sunday as an elevation from the practice squad and had six tackles along with two passes defensed.

Stay tuned to Steel Curtain Network’s continued coverage of the Pittsburgh Steelers as they look to bounce back this Sunday as they travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals.