Steelers Host Former All-Pro After Injury

Steelers Host Former All-Pro

Ahead of its primetime matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals this week, the Steelers hosted two-time All-Pro George Odum for a free agent visit, per NFL.com's transaction log.

Odum's NFL Career

After going undrafted out of Central Arkansas in 2018, Odum signed with the Indianapolis Colts. He remained with the team through the 2021 campaign and played in all 65 of the team's regular season games over that stretch, earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2020 along the way.

Odum concluded his time in Indianapolis with 150 tackles, four forced fumbles and two interceptions while logging over 1,300 special teams snaps with 982 on defense.

He signed a three-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers ahead of the 2022 campaign and went on to become a second-team All-Pro as a special teamer that year.

Odum signed a two-year extension with the 49ers in March 2024, though the team cut him this past summer after he underwent elbow surgery.

How Odum Could Help Steelers

The 31-year-old would appear to be healthy enough to play following his surprising release by San Francisco, and he profiles as a perfect stand-in for Killebrew.

Odum has racked up plenty of experience as part of both the kick and punt units throughout his seven-year career, serving as both a protector and gunner in addition to seeing the field on field goal and extra-point tries.

Though it wouldn't be fair for Pittsburgh to expect Odum to step in and play at the same level as Killebrew on special teams even given his prior accolades in that aspect of the game, he may represent the best short-term replacement option.

Furthermore, Odum could reasonably be expected to fill some sort of role on defense as well. Killebrew logged just nine defensive snaps in 2024 and had none before suffering his injury vs. Cleveland, whereas Odum recorded 138 for San Francisco last year and started seven games at safety for the Colts as recently as 2021.

Pittsburgh isn't in dire need of help at the position considering DeShon Elliott is healthy while Juan Thornhill, Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers are all capable of filling in to a certain extent, but knowing Odum is available if needed would be an added bonus.

Though the Steelers and Odum have yet to officially join forces, he's a name worth watching over the coming days as the team looks to fill the void left by Killebrew following his injury.