Steelers Part Ways With Veteran Safety After Latest Signing

The Pittsburgh Steelers are moving on from one of their veteran safeties following their latest signing.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are releasing veteran safety Darrick Forrest from their practice squad to make room for the signing of cornerback Asante Samuel, the team announced.

Forrest, 26, signed to the Steelers practice squad on Oct. 29 to provide depth at the position after strong safety DeShon Elliott suffered a knee injury against the Green Bay Packers in Week 8. He never recorded a statistic in Pittsburgh.

He began his NFL career as a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by Washington, where he spent the first four seasons of his career.

This season, he spent time with the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts, who released him from their practice squad on Sept. 13.

A 5-foot-11, 206-pound free safety, Forrest largely played a coverage role in his four seasons with the Commanders, with 734 of his 1,277 career snaps coming in a center-field or half-field coverage alignment. In his career, he has an 81.0 passer rating when targeted, per Pro Football Focus.

Forrest’s best season statistically came in 2022, when he started 11 games and recorded 88 tackles, one for a loss, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery, nine passes defended and four interceptions.

A shoulder injury cost him most of the 2023 season, and he lost his starting job when the Commanders installed Joe Whitt Jr. as defensive coordinator in 2024. He then became a free agent in 2025.

Forrest has high-end athleticism for the safety position, posting a 4.42-second 40-yard dash a 39-inch vertical and 11-foot broad jump in pre-draft testing for a 9.68 Relative Athletic Score out of 10, but he will now look to earn an opportunity with another team.

This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Part Ways With Veteran Safety After Latest Signing