Pittsburgh Steelers Signed Former College Football All-American On Wednesday

On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers brought back a familiar face who also happens to be a former college football star.

The Steelers announced on the team's official X (formerly Twitter) account that the team signed linebacker Tyler Matakevich to a one-year contract.

Matakevich played the past four seasons for the Buffalo Bills. But he spent his first four years in the NFL with the Steelers after the organization selected him in the 2016 NFL draft.

The Steelers picked Matakevich out of Temple at No. 246 overall in the seventh round.

Matakevich was a star at Temple, winning the AAC Defensive Player of the Year and several other awards, including the Bronco Nagurski Trophy and the Chuck Bednarik award as the best defensive player in the FBS, during the 2015 season. He was also a consensus All-American that season.

In his college career, Matakevich posted 493 total tackles, including 40 for loss and 7 sacks. He also had 11 pass defenses, seven interceptions, and four forced fumbles.

During his first four seasons with the Steelers, Matakevich had 77 combined tackles and one pass defense. He started one game during the 2018 season but mostly played on special teams.

Matakevich played at least 60% of Pittsburgh's special teams snaps during the games he dressed from 2016 to 2019.

To make room for Matakevich on the roster, the Steelers released safety Jalen Elliott.

Elliott has not appeared in an NFL regular-season game since 2021.