Former Pittsburgh Steelers big name listed as roster bubble cut candidate

The Pittsburgh Steelers have plenty of notable cut candidates as roster battles get underway at training camp this summer.

Also interesting, though, are some of those former Steelers players on the cutting block elsewhere.

One big name who sticks out more than most former Steelers? Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster with the New England Patriots.

Dakota Randall of Pro Football Network recently listed cut candidates for each team and made a case for Smith-Schuster in Foxboro: “Knee issues and general on-field struggles limited Smith-Schuster to just 29 catches in 2023. He now is fighting for the final spot on New England’s receiver depth chart, and the Patriots might prefer to enter a youth movement.”

As Randall goes on to note, though, the Patriots showing Smith-Schuster the door would create a $9.6 million dead cap hit.

Smith-Schuster joined the Steelers via the second round and spent five seasons with the team, including that career-best 1,426-yard outburst with seven touchdowns on 111 catches in 2018.

After that, he spent one year with the Kansas City Chiefs (catching 78 passes for 933 yards and three scores) on a prove-it deal before cashing in on a three-year pact worth $33 million with the Patriots.