Steelers cut veteran corner Darius Slay and sign wide receiver Adam Thielen to practice squad

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Adam Thielen didn’t stay out of work long.

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed the veteran wide receiver to their practice squad on Tuesday, a day after the 35-year-old was released by the Minnesota Vikings so he could pursue more playing time elsewhere.

Thielen had just eight catches for 69 yards in his return to Minnesota, where he starred from 2014-22 before a two-year stint with Carolina.

It might not take Thielen long to find his way onto the field in Pittsburgh. The Steelers (6-6) have struggled to do much in the pass game of late with neither Roman Wilson nor Calvin Austin III becoming consistent contributors alongside DK Metcalf.

Thielen is the second experienced wideout to join Pittsburgh’s practice squad in recent weeks. The Steelers signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling last month, though he has yet to find his way onto the 53-man roster on gamedays.

Pittsburgh also promoted Asante Samuel Jr. from the practice squad and released six-time Pro Bowler Darius Slay, who had been a healthy scratch in recent weeks.

Samuel made his first appearance with the Steelers in Sunday’s loss to Buffalo, finishing with three tackles in his return to action after undergoing neck surgery last spring. Tomlin saw enough of Slay to sign him to the active roster rather than risk someone poaching Slay from the practice squad late in the season.

“We certainly wanted to have an opportunity to see him in stadium before we maybe had to make a decision on him, before someone else forced our hand regarding decisions,” Tomlin said, later adding, “we liked some of the things we saw.”

Slay, signed to a one-year deal in March, had essentially been benched by Tomlin in favor of less experienced players, including James Pierre.

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