Report: Steelers Sign Another Former Falcons Player
Once again, on defense, the Pittsburgh Steelers have added a former Atlanta Falcon to their roster. On June 21, Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot reported that defensive tackle Willington Previlon was acquired by the Steelers via waiver claim.
The Steelers updated the NFL transaction sheet with the move.
The Steelers had already added four noteworthy former Falcons players this offseason, all of whom were offensive players, before acquiring Previlon. Previlon, however, did not play for previous Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith, in contrast to those four players.
On January 10, Previlon was signed by the Falcons to a reserve/future contract. Two days ago, Atlanta dismissed Smith, the new offensive coordinator for the Steelers.
Undrafted in 2020, Previlon experienced stints with the Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys during his first four NFL seasons. But he’s never appeared in a regular season game.
Steelers Claim DT Willington Previlon Off Waivers
With the addition to Previlon, the Steelers have a full offseason roster again and added depth to the interior of their defensive line.
Previlon played college football at Rutgers, where he posted 71 total tackles, including 11.5 tackles for loss, in his career. He also had 4 sacks and 3 pass defenses.
He registered 35 of those tackles, including 7.5 for loss and 1 sack during his senior season.
Standing at 287 pounds during his draft process, Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline called Previlon “undersized” but also labeled him as “explosive” and a player who had shown “versatility.”
“Previlon has nice length and growth potential and great athleticism,” Pauline wrote on March 30, 2020. “He’s still rough around the edges after he was moved around on the defensive line at Rutgers, but he comes with upside and should receive practice-squad consideration.”
Previlon is joining a Steelers roster which already had eight defensive tackles. The official Steelers roster, though, lists veterans such as Cameron Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi as defensive tackles, but they essentially split their 2023 snaps between defensive tackle and defensive end.
The four notable Falcons the Steelers signed this offseason were kick returner and running back Cordarrelle Patterson, wide receivers Van Jefferson and Scotty Miller and tight end MyCole Pruitt. All four of those players are familiar with Smith’s playbook.
Steelers Sign WR Jacob Copeland
A few hours before claiming Previlon, the Steelers announced signing wideout Jacob Copeland to a one-year contract.
Copeland returns to the Steelers after spending most of the 2023 regular season on the team’s practice squad. Pittsburgh released the 24-year-old receiver on December 4.
Copeland inked a reserve/future deal with the Kansas City Chiefs on January 10. However, on May 4, the Chiefs waived him.
Copeland started his career as an undrafted free agent, just like Previlon. Moreover, he has never participated in an NFL regular season game.
Before reporting to the Steelers practice squad in September 2023, Copeland was a member of the Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings.
Copeland is the eleventh member of the Steelers’ receiving group. Even though the squad doesn’t have a lot of elite depth at the position, Copeland will probably struggle to make the roster following the preseason.
The Steelers have returned to fielding 91 players after adding Previlon and Copeland. The Steelers just released safety Trenton Thompson and wide receiver Denzel Mims. Those two guys will take their places.
NFL rosters are usually limited to 90 players, but the Steelers are allowed to add one extra player because Julian Welschof, a rookie outside linebacker, is not counted toward the roster because he is a part of the league’s international players program.
