Panthers Sign Former Steelers Defensive End

The Carolina Panthers will sign former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Chris Wormley from their practice squad, the team announced on Friday. He will play in his fourth game this season, and so far, he has registered one tackle. Wormley played in the last three games as a team’s rotation member.

Wormley had been an unrestricted free agent since his contract with Pittsburgh expired in March, but has also been recovering from the ACL surgery that ended his 2022 season with the Steelers.

The reliable defensive lineman also had a tryout with the New York Giants and New England Patriots earlier this offseason, but ended up not signing with them.

Wormley is looking for another lifeline in the NFL and hopes to standout with a lowly Panthers team. He played well for Pittsburgh as a rotational piece, but a major injury sidelined him and hurt his free agency value.

Wormley was injured in the Steelers’ home game against the Baltimore Ravens last December, when he went down with a non-contact knee injury. The injury ended Wormley’s season and cost him most of the offseason as well.

Wormley was in the final year of his two-year contract with the Steelers, meaning that he also hit free agency with the injury looming over his head. Before the injury, Chris Wormley racked up 29 tackles, a forced fumble, and 0.5 sacks on the season as a rotational player along the Steelers’ defensive line. 

The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Michigan product spent three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens before his two in Pittsburgh. Now, the Panthers will get to play the veteran as he hopes to put up quality tape before hitting free agency once again.