PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers lost two players to injuries during training camp, waiving both with injury tags. After they cleared waivers, they reverted to Injured Reserve in Pittsburgh, but are now headed to free agency once again.
Linebacker Jeremiah Moon and wide receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig were both waived/injured after going down at training camp. The moves freed up roster spots for Pittsburgh, allowing them to add to their team as they moved toward their first preseason game. When they reverted to the IR, the team let both players go with injury settlements.
With both players reverting to Injured Reserve, the Steelers had a decision to make on keeping them there or releasing them with an injury settlement. They chose to let both players walk.
Most times, players take settlements when they know they can return later that year. Instead of spending the full season on Injured Reserve, they can take the settlement, train and rehab on their own and then try to land with a new team once healthy. If they don’t take the settlement, they have to remain on IR throughout the entire season.
Moon was expected to be a contributor on special teams if he made the team this season, but had a battle in front of him with the addition of Jack Sawyer in the NFL Draft. Lemonious-Craig was likely at the bottom of the depth chart as the undrafted rookie hoped to shock the team and earn his place this season.
Being waived/injured usually means there’s a chance the player can return at some point. Pittsburgh put veteran defensive tackle Dean Lowry on Injured Reserve with a knee injury, which immediately ended his season. That’s likely because he’ll need to undergo surgery and won’t be able to return at all this season.
Moon and Lemonious-Craig have decisions to make as they look for a new home in the NFL.
