Steelers Sign Former Buccaneers Safety Before Browns Game

Henderson is the only safety on Pittsburgh’s practice squad. That alone should allow him to stick around indefinitely and show the Steelers’ coaching staff what he can do.

Ideally, though, the Steelers won’t need to get Henderson on the field anytime soon. That’s not a knock on Henderson so much as it is the reality that the 3-1 Steelers would likely prefer not to worry about safeties Juan Thornhill or DeShon Elliott going down with an injury.

What’s Next for the Steelers?

Week 5 proved to be extremely fruitful for the Steelers, even if they didn’t play. The injury-ravaged Cincinnati Bengals dropped their third straight game, this time to the Detroit Lions, and sit at 2-3. Unfortunately for the Bengals, Joe Burrow is still nowhere close to returning, and Jake Browning has erased any optimism about being a suitable replacement.

Speaking of injuries, the Ravens took the field without six Pro Bowlers — including Lamar Jackson, Kyle Hamilton, and Ronnie Stanley, among others — in their 44-10 home loss to the Houston Texans. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns proved that, regardless of the country, they can’t hold a lead and finish games. Cleveland wasted rookies Dillon Gabriel and Quinshon Judkins’ strong outings en route to a 21-17 collapse against the Minnesota Vikings in London.

Pittsburgh hosts that same Cleveland team in Week 6, and oddsmakers clearly believe in the Steelers. FanDuel Sportsbook listed the Steelers as -5.5 point home favorites (-105, meaning that a $100 bet would net a $195.24 payout) as of Monday afternoon.

Although we don’t expect to see Henderson take the field against Cleveland, his time might come soon. The closer Pittsburgh moves to its first AFC North title since 2020, the sooner Mike Tomlin may consider elevating some young players from the practice squad.