Steelers Now
A Pittsburgh native, Daequan Hardy will be sticking around with his hometown team a little while longer, at least. The 24-year-old cornerback signed a reserve/future deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday.
Hardy was signed with 12 others as Art Rooney II and general manager Omar Khan conduct their head coaching search.
Hardy, who played at Penn Hills High School and Penn State, spent time on Mike Tomlin’s practice squad this season. He initially joined the Steelers in November, was released later in the month and then brought back a week later in December. Hardy hasn’t yet appeared in a game for the Steelers.
In high school, Hardy played on the same 7-on-7 team as Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and Tomlin’s son, Dino Tomlin. Hardy was rated a three-star recruit in 247Sports’ composite rankings for the 2019 class. He was the No. 26 player in Pennsylvania.
Hardy played five seasons for the Nittany Lions, taking the field in 48 games. He totaled 60 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 20 passes defended and five interceptions. The Buffalo Bills drafted him in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Hardy spent his first professional season on the Bills’ practice squad and was signed to a reserve/future contract with the team last offseason. Buffalo released him as part of final roster cuts after training camp, then re-signed to their practice squad the following day. The Bills cut ties with him in August, leading to his Steelers stint.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Sign Local Product Cornerback for 2026
