McCARTHY HAPPY TO SEE PORTER AT WORK, BUT WILL HE PLAY IN OPENER?

DB Car’lin Vigers: Car’lin Vigers signed with the Washington Commanders as an undrafted rookie free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft. Vigers spent time on the Commanders practice squad last season. Vigers played college football at Louisiana-Monroe where he started 12 games in 2024, finishing with 38 tackles, including two for a loss, an interception and a sack.

WR Brandon Johnson: Brandon Johnson returns to the Steelers practice squad after spending time on there during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. In 2024, Johnson was elevated for the Week 7 game against the New York Jets and the Week 8 game against the New York Giants.  Johnson originally signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft. He spent time on the Broncos practice squad and active roster over two seasons. He also spent time on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad. Johnson has played in 23 games, starting three, and has 26 receptions for 335 yards and five touchdowns. He played in 13 games in 2023, pulling in 19 receptions for 284 yards and four touchdowns for the Broncos. Johnson played college football at the University of Central Florida.

LB Bradyn Swinson: Bradyn Swinson: Bradyn Swinson was originally selected by the New England Patriots in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He spent part of the 2025 season on the Patriots practice squad before being activated to the 53-man roster. He appeared in three games for the Patriots, seeing action on defense and special teams. Swinson played college football at LSU for two seasons (2023-24), after transferring from Oregon. He played in 55 collegiate games, with 14 starts, and recorded 128 tackles, including 64 solo stops. He had 28 tackles for a loss, 13 ½ sacks, 11 passes defensed and five forced fumbles.

DT Kyler Baugh: Kyler Baugh was originally signed by the Steelers during 2025 training camp and spent the majority of the season on the practice squad. He was signed to a Reserve/Future contract at the end of the season. Baugh entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie with the New Orleans Saints following the 2024 NFL Draft. He also spent time with the New York Giants and on the Atlanta Falcons practice squad. Baugh played two seasons at the University of Minnesota, appearing in 26 games. He recorded 77 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and four sacks. He also added four passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He began his college career at Houston Baptist where he appeared in 26 games, starting 18. He finished with 104 career tackles, including 10 tackles for a loss and five sacks.

DB Sebastian Castro: Sebastian Castro originally signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft out of Iowa. He began the season on the Steelers practice squad, but was signed to the Buccaneers 53-man roster on Sept. 30, where he appeared in one game. The Steelers claimed Castro off waivers from the Buccaneers last November, spending the rest of the season on the 53-man roster. He appeared in seven games for the Steelers, finishing the season with two special teams tackles.

RB Travis Homer: Travis Homer was signed by the Steelers in the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. Homer was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth-round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the 204th overall pick. He spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the Seahawks (2019-22) and the last three with the Chicago Bears (2023-25). In seven seasons, he has appeared in 85 games, starting two. He has carried the ball 90 times for 474 yards and one touchdown. He also has 55 receptions for 475 yards and two touchdowns. He also was used heavily on special teams. Homer played college football at the University of Miami where he rushed for 1,995 yards over three seasons.

WR Max Hurleman: Max Hurleman was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent following a tryout during rookie minicamp in 2025. He spent the season on the practice squad and was signed to a Reserve/Future contract. Hurleman appeared in 51 games in five college seasons, starting 23. He had 194 carries for 814 yards and one touchdown. He also is hailed for his punt return ability, returning 49 punts for 353 yards, a 7.2-yard average. Hurleman spent his first four seasons at Colgate University before transferring to Notre Dame in 2024 where he played mainly on special teams.

OL Steven Jones: Steven Jones spent the 2025 season on the Steelers practice squad and was signed to a Reserve/Future contract following the 2025 season. He was first signed to a Reserve/Future contract by the Steelers following the 2024 season. Jones originally signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft and spent the season on their practice squad. He played college football at Oregon where he started all 14 games his senior season at right guard for an offensive line that led the nation with just five sacks allowed for the second year in a row.

TE Lake McRee: Lake McRee was signed as an undrafted free agent following the 2026 NFL Draft. McRee appeared in 51 games in his college career at USC He had 97 receptions for 1,154 yards, an 11.9-yard average, and seven touchdowns. His final season, he appeared in 12 games, with 30 receptions for 450 yards and four touchdowns.

DL Esezi Otomewo: Esezi Otomewo signed a one-year contract in the 2026 offseason. Otomewo was first signed by the Steelers during the 2025 offseason. Last season he appeared in 12 games, finished with nine tackles, five of them solo stops. He had one sack and a tackle for a loss. In four seasons in the NFL he has appeared in 21 games, starting two. He has 18 tackles, eight of them solo stops, two tackles for a loss and one and a half sacks. Otomewo was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the 165th overall pick. In his rookie season, he appeared in five games for the Vikings, recording five tackles, three of them solo stops. He spent two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2023-24). Otomewo appeared in four games for the Jaguars in 2024, starting two of them, and registered four tackles, two quarterback hits and half a sack. He had his best game against the Chicago Bears, when he had two tackles, a quarterback hit and half a sack. He spent the 2023 season on the Jaguars practice squad.

OL Doug Nester: Doug Nester was signed to the practice squad on Dec. 11, 2025, and signed to a Reserve/Future contract at the end of the season. Nester spent the 2024 season on the Steelers practice squad and was signed to a Reserve/Future contract following that season as well. Nester originally signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft. Nester played college football at West Virginia where he appeared in 57 games, starting 52 of them. In 2023 he played in 12 games, starting 11, with 660 offensive snaps and didn’t allow a sack.

RB Lew Nichols: Lew Nichols spent the 2025 season on the practice squad and was signed to a Reserve/Future contract at the end of the 2025 season. Nichols was elevated for the Steelers-Colts game in Week 9, playing on special teams. Nichols was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, spending most of the season on the Reserve/Injured List. He has since spent time on the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad. Nichols played college football at Central Michigan where he rushed for 1,710 yards in 2021, leading the nation. He was the Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2021.

DB Doneiko Slaughter: Doneiko Slaughter was signed to a Reserve/Future contract by the Steelers following the 2025 season.   Slaughter originally signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft.  Slaughter played his final college season at Arkansas where he started 13 games. He recorded 80 tackles, including 44 solo stops, three tackles for a loss, seven passes defensed, a sack and a forced fumble. He began his college career at Tennessee, playing four seasons and finishing with three sacks, one interception and eight passes defensed. In five college seasons, he appeared in 56 games, starting 28. He had 167 tackles, 110 of them solo stops, eight and a half tackles for a loss, four sacks, and 15 passes defensed.

WR Brandon Smith: Brandon Smith was signed by the Steelers to a Reserve/Future contract at the end of the 2025 season. He spent part of the 2024 and 2025 seasons with the New York Jets, on both the active roster and practice squad. He appeared in three games for the Jets. Smith also spent time with the New England Patriots, on their practice squad at the end of the 2025 season, Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals. He also played for the D.C. Defenders of the UFL. Smith played college football at Iowa where he appeared in 39 games, starting 26. He had 91 receptions for 1,046 yards and nine touchdowns.

LB Julius Welschof: Julius Welschof was signed to practice squad for the third straight year. Welschof was originally signed by the team as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft and spent time on the practice squad during that season. He also spent the 2025 season on the practice squad. Welschof played college football at Charlotte but had his 2023 season cut short due to injury, playing in four games. He began his career at Michigan where he played in 35 games. In 2022 he played in all 14 games. He is from Miesbach, Bavaria, Germany and has taken part in the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program.

LB Jacoby Windmon: Jacoby Windmon was originally signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft. He spent time on the team’s practice squad over the last two seasons. He was resigned by the team after he played for the Columbus Aviators of the UFL in the 2026 offseason. He also spent time with the Carolina Panthers during the 2024 season, appearing in eight games, including starting two. He had 22 tackles and one and half sacks for the Panthers. Windmon appeared in 41 collegiate games, playing two seasons at Michigan State after transferring from UNLV. In 2023 he appeared in 11 games, recording 64 tackles, 23 of them solo stops. He had 12.5 tackles for a loss and six and a half sacks. He also had six forced fumbles, three passes defensed and an interception. For his career he had 233 tackles with 27 tackles for a loss, 18.5 sacks, six passes broken up, nine forced fumbles, one interception and one fumble recovery.