Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers have waived wide receiver Brandon Johnson from the injured reserve list with an injury settlement, according to the NFL transactions page for Friday.
Johnson suffered an undisclosed foot/ankle injury early in the team’s preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers. He was seen leaving the stadium with a walking boot on, and did not return to practice for the team in the preseason.
Johnson was waived with an injury designation on Tuesday as the team made its final cuts down to 53 players. He cleared waivers on Wednesday and reverted to the team’s injured reserve list.
His released with an injury settlement means the Steelers will pay Johnson for the number of weeks he was projected to miss with his injury. He will be free to sign with another team as soon as he is healthy.
If he wants to re-sign with the Steelers, he must wait until the injury settlement has passed, plus an additional three weeks.
Johnson, 27, first joined the Steelers in 2024 as a member of the practice squad, after he had been released by the Denver Broncos. He was called up for the maximum of three games while on the practice squad, making one catch for nine yards. Johnson re-signed with the Steelers for the 2025 season in January.
This offseason, Johnson started OTAs with the first team while DK Metcalf was out, but was unable to convert that positioning into a greater opportunity, with players like Scotty Miller, Roman Wilson and Ke’Shawn Williams out-performing him this preseason. Johnson finished the preseason with five catches for 28 yards and a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Originally an undrafted free agent of the Broncos out of UCF in 2022, Johnson spent two seasons in Denver, appearing in 23 games and catching a total of 25 passes for 326 yards and five touchdowns. He came to Pittsburgh along with his former Broncos quarterback, Russell Wilson, during the 2024 offseason.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Cut Ties with Wide Receiver after Injury
