Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers are bringing back some key depth for their offensive line.
Veteran offensive lineman Max Scharping was among the Pittsburgh Steelers’ final roster cuts on Tuesday afternoon, but he was too valuable to keep away for too long.
The Steelers announced that they are re-signing Scharping to the active roster after placing rookie quarterback Will Howard and cornerback Donte Kent on injured reserve.
We have signed S Chuck Clark and G Max Scharping to the Active Roster & placed QB Will Howard and CB Donte Kent on the Reserve/Injured List. @BordasLawhttps://t.co/rQeVtyi6y9
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 28, 2025
Scharping, 29, joined Pittsburgh last season, when the team signed him from the Washington Commanders practice squad on Oct. 1, after starting guard James Daniels was lost for the season to a torn Achilles tendon.
He spent the rest of the year on the Steelers’ active roster and appeared in two games while displaying versatility along the offensive line.
However, it seems his release was simply transactional to allow Pittsburgh to avoid using an automatic injured reserve designation on Howard and Kent. Scharping did not need to go through waivers as a veteran.
Scharping was a second-round pick of the Houston Texans in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Northern Illinois. He spent his first three seasons with the Texans, immediately becoming a starter at left guard in 2019.
In 2021, Scharping moved over to right guard and was again a starter for the third straight season, but he was waived by Houston in August of 2022. He then caught on with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he played sparingly over the last two seasons as a backup at guard and center.
A 6-foot-6, 325-pound lineman, Scharping came into the league with a reputation of being a strong pass protector from his time at NIU. He posted an 8.83 out of 10 Relative Athletic Score at the 2019 NFL Combine.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Re-Sign Versatile Offensive Lineman
