Anthony Averett was one of several experienced players who used rookie minicamps as a way to earn an NFL deal. The veteran corner spent the past few days at the Steelers’ camp, and that has indeed produced a contract.
Averett’s agent told Pro Football Talk a one-year Pittsburgh agreement has been reached. The 29-year-old will thus spend the remainder of the offseason looking to earn a 53-man roster spot.
The Steelers already have Joey Porter Jr. and trade acquisition Donte Jackson in place as projected starters, but Averett has notable first-team experience of his own.
The latter entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the Ravens in 2018. Averett was used sparingly during his first two Baltimore campaigns, but he logged 18 starts across the 2020 and 2021 campaigns. That led to a one-year, $4M Raiders agreement during his first trip to free agency. He was limited to just six games in 2022, however, something which hindered his market value.
Averett began last year with the 49ers, but he was let go amidst further injury issues. That led to a brief Lions practice squad agreement before San Francisco checked back in. No agreement was reached the second time around, though, and the Alabama product did not see any regular season action in 2023.
He will aim to bounce back this season on a Steelers team which has made a number of moves on defense.
The team’s draft was centered mainly on offense, however, and sixth-rounder Ryan Watts represents Pittsburgh’s only rookie in the secondary. Veteran Patrick Peterson, who played with the Steelers last season but was released midway through his $14M pact, remains unsigned. Head coach Mike Tomlin is open to bringing Peterson back into the fold, but it will be interesting to see if this Averett addition changes that stance.
Pittsburgh entered Sunday with over $18M in cap space. With most of the team’s draft class having been signed already, the Steelers thus have the flexibility to make post-draft veteran additions such as this one.
Averett’s pact will no doubt be a low-cost flier, but his previous starting experience gives this move a degree of upside.
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