Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers have re-signed safety Jack Henderson to a reserve/future contract for the 2026 season, the team announced on Wednesday.
Henderson, who spent time on the Steelers practice squad in 2025, was released by the Miami Dolphins on Jan. 9, putting the hyper-athletic safety back on the open market.
Henderson initially signed with the Steelers practice squad on Oct. 6 and was not elevated for a game during his time with the team. He was released on Nov. 20, a week after the team re-claimed fellow rookie safety Sebastian Castro.
Before his time with the Steelers, Henderson had been with the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota this season.
Henderson had been with the Tampa practice squad for the first month of the season, before being released on Sept. 23. He did not appear in a regular-season game with the Buccaneers.
Before that, Henderson played three preseason games for Carolina this offseason, including a Week 3 contest in Pittsburgh against the Steelers. While with the Panthers, Henderson split his playing time between in the box (22 snaps per PFF) and free safety (29 snaps).
Henderson tested strongly in the pre-draft process. The 6-foot-2, 203-pound safety ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash and posted outstanding athleticism with a 39.5-inch vertical and a 10-foot-8 broad jump for an overall 9.37 Relative Athletic Score out of 10.
A native of Mandeville, Louisiana, Henderson played three seasons at Southeastern Louisiana before transferring to Minnesota in 2023. He started seven games in his first season with the Golden Gophers, but led the team with 59 tackles. He also had five tackles for loss, one sack two interception and a pass breakup.
In 2024, he made 12 starts and tied for the team lead with six sacks to go along with 44 tackles, nine tackles for loss, one pass breakup, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He also blocked a kick and was named an academic All-Big Ten.
Henderson joins Jalen Ramsey, DeShon Elliott and Sebastian Castro as the only safeties the Steelers have under contract for 2026, as Chuck Clark, Kyle Dugger, Miles Killebrew and Jabrill Peppers are all slated to hit free agency in March.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Re-Sign Safety after Release by Dolphins
