Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers did not submit a claim for Miami Dolphins edge rusher Matthew Judon, who was released by the Dolphins on Wednesday and was processed through waivers on Thursday. Neither did anyone else.
The 33-year-old four-time Pro Bowler passed through waivers entirely, leaving Judon as a free agent free to sign with any team.
The Steelers have been scrounging for depth at outside linebacker and seemed like an obvious fit. T.J. Watt looks likely to miss his second straight game after suffering a partially collapsed lung last week, while his replacement, Nick Herbig, has yet to return to practice after injuring his hamstring against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night.
The Steelers re-signed Jeremiah Moon, who had spent the entire 2024 season in Pittsburgh but had been on the Carolina Panthers practice squad, and brought four other players into UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for tryouts.
But none of them have the resume of Judon, who not only has been a longtime starter, has experience playing in several defenses that are schematically similar to the Steelers, including the Baltimore Ravens, where he was selected in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Judon spent five seasons in Baltimore from 2016-20, and was twice named a Pro Bowler during his time with the Ravens. After that, he moved to another 3-4 defense, playing for the New England patriots from 2021-23 and made two more Pro Bowls.
The Dolphins signed Judon to a one-year, $3 million contract this offseason. He played in 13 games and made three starts for Miami, mostly slotting as the team’s fourth edge rusher behind Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips and Chop Robinson. After Phillips was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, Judon saw an increased role, but with the Dolphins being eliminated from playoff contention after Monday’s loss to the Steelers, Miami head coach Mike McDaniel likely wants to play younger players the rest of the way.
In 13 games this season, Judon has 19 tackles, one tackle for a loss, there quarterback hits and one pass defended. He had 5.5 sacks in a full season as a starter for the Atlanta Falcons last year.
He had been owed the remainder of his $3 million contract, and it’s possible that some teams wanted to let him clear waivers first in order to be able to sign him for the minimum for the remainder of the season. The Steelers have plenty of salary cap space remaining.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Stand Pat as Much-Needed Edge Rusher Clears Waivers
