The Pittsburgh Steelers released outside linebacker Bradyn Swinson from the practice squad on Tuesday, ending a five-week stay that never produced a call-up to the active roster.
The team announced the move alongside two additions: cornerback Terell Smith, signed to the 53-man roster from the Washington Commanders’ practice squad, and linebacker K.J. Henry, signed to the practice squad.
Swinson, 24, had joined Pittsburgh on Sept. 1, two days after the New England Patriots cut him at the end of training camp. The Patriots had taken him in the fifth round of the 2025 draft, No. 146 overall, out of LSU.
He appeared in three games as a rookie, including a special-teams debut in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals and his first defensive snaps in Week 17 against the New York Jets, and finished the season with one tackle.
The Georgia native began his college career at Oregon before transferring to LSU. In 2024 he became a full-time starter, earned second-team All-SEC honors, and posted 59 tackles and 8.5 sacks.
At 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds, he was viewed as a developmental edge player with length and play strength, the sort of prospect practice squads are built to hold.
Pittsburgh never elevated him for a game.
Henry fills the opening. The Clemson product was a fifth-round pick of the Commanders in 2023 and has 22 career tackles and 2.5 sacks across stints with Washington, Cincinnati, and Dallas.
He spent time on Pittsburgh’s practice squad last October, signed a reserve/future contract in January, and was waived in June before a brief stay with the San Francisco 49ers.
His return comes a day after defensive tackle Derrick Harmon was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury, thinning the defensive front.
Smith, a 2023 fifth-round pick of the Chicago Bears, gives the secondary an experienced body after recent cornerback shuffling.
He has 26 career games and six starts, with 68 tackles, 10 passes defensed, and one interception, and spent the start of this season on Washington’s practice squad after missing 2025 with a knee injury.
Practice-squad releases are routine in October, when teams reshuffle developmental spots around injuries and waiver claims.
For Swinson, Tuesday’s cut is the second time in six weeks he has been let go. He is now a free agent and can sign with any club’s practice squad or active roster.
