Steelers release veteran offensive lineman

Mitch Trubisky wasn’t the only Steelers player to earn his walking papers on Monday. The team announced that they’ve also cut offensive lineman Chukwuma Okorafor and punter Pressley Harvin III.

Okorafor joined the Steelers as a third-round pick in 2018. He got into 77 games across his six seasons with the organization, including a stretch between 2020 and 2022 where he started 48 of his 49 appearances. He also started a pair of playoff games for the Steelers.

The lineman’s 55-game starting streak ended this past season when he was benched for disciplinary reasons. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Broderick Jones, and the rookie ended up playing the majority of the snaps at right tackle for the rest of the year.

Okorafor inked a three-year, $29.25M extension with the Steelers back in 2022. He was set to earn $4.75M via base salary and $4M in roster bonuses next season. 

As Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes, the development of Jones coupled with the minuscule $1.23M cap hit from Dan Moore Jr. made it easier to move on from the veteran Okorafor.

Harvin has spent the past three seasons as Pittsburgh’s primary punter. The 2021 seventh-round pick has continued to build off a rookie campaign where he earned All-Rookie Team honors. 

He finished this past season landing a career-high 38.5 percent of his punts inside the 20. He was set to enter the final year of his rookie contract.