Steelers Lose Rookie DB to Buccaneers

He attended the University of Iowa with a pair of Steelers rookies in Yahya Black and Kaleb Johnson. Castro was once viewed as a top prospect at safety, though he ultimately wasn't picked this past April and signed with Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent.

With the depth chart at the position rather bare behind Minkah Fitzpatrick, DeShon Elliott and Juan Thornhill at the time, there was some thought that Castro could've snuck onto the Steelers' 53-man roster with a strong showing throughout training camp and the preseason.

His chances of cracking the roster improved, at least on paper, when Fitzpatrick was traded to the Miami Dolphins for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith in late June.

Castro's Future Was Bright

Castro appeared in all three of the Steelers' preseason contests, recording 11 tackles over that span, but he ultimately didn't do enough to earn a spot on the team next to Elliott, Thornhill and Chuck Clark, the latter of whom inked a one-year deal with Pittsburgh in July and was let go at final roster cuts before ultimately re-signing to the 53-man roster.

Pittsburgh ran into some trouble at safety early in the season when Elliott sustained a knee injury in Week 1 against the New York Jets, but Castro was never elevated from the practice squad. Instead, the Steelers rolled out their incumbent duo of Thornhill and Clark while also signing Jabrill Peppers for additional depth.

With Elliott having returned in Week 4 vs. the Minnesota Vikings, there wasn't much of a path towards playing time moving forward for Castro as a rookie. He does have potential, however, and he could've emerged as a valuable piece for the Steelers somewhere down the line, but this time with the organization hadn't yet come.

Perhaps Castro and Pittsburgh could reunite in the future, but for now he'll look to make an impact for the Buccaneers.