The 2025 season is only a week old for the Steelers, but there already have been some changes to the roster.
Receiver Adam Thielen, who was claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Vikings off waivers on Dec. 2, announced his retirement on social media after 12 seasons in the NFL.
Thielen had 11 receptions for 117 yards, a 10.6-yard average, with the Steelers in the regular season, and two receptions for 25 yards in the Wild Card game.
The team also signed a total of 16 players to Reserve/Future contracts following the conclusion of the season. Many of them were on the team's practice squad during the season, while there were also new additions.
The full list and details on all of the Reserve/Future signings is below.
Long snapper Cal Adomitis: The Steelers originally signed Adomitis to the practice squad on Dec. 19. Adomitis, who is from Pittsburgh and played at Central Catholic High School and the University of Pittsburgh, was last with the Philadelphia Eagles. He originally signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft, playing 49 games with them.
Defensive tackle Kyler Baugh: Baugh was originally signed by the Steelers during training camp and spent the majority of the season on the practice squad. Baugh entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie with the New Orleans Saints following the 2024 NFL Draft. He also spent time with the New York Giants and on the Atlanta Falcons practice squad. Baugh played two seasons at the University of Minnesota, appearing in 26 games. He recorded 77 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and four sacks. He also added four passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He began his college career at Houston Baptist where he appeared in 26 games, starting 18. He finished with 104 career tackles, including 10 tackles for a loss and five sacks.
Receiver Cole Burgess: Burgess was originally signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft. Burgess spent the 2024 season on the Bengals practice squad and was signed to a Reserve/Future contract after the season. Burgess played college football at Division III SUNY Cortland where he earned first-team All-ECAC and All-Empire 8 honors, as well as D3football.com All-Region honors. He started all 10 games his final season, pulling in 37 receptions for 816 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Defensive end Anthony Goodlow: Goodlow, who was signed to the Steelers practice squad on Nov. 24, was originally signed by the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft. Goodlow spent time on the Arizona Cardinals practice squad the last two seasons, and was elevated to the Active/Inactive roster for three games in 2025. Goodlow played college football at Oklahoma State where he played in 14 games. He recorded 42 tackles, 18 of them solo stops, seven tackles for a loss and three sacks. He began his college career at Tulsa, appearing in a total of 48 games in his college career, with 22 starts.
Defensive back Daequan Hardy: Hardy spent time on the Steelers practice squad during the 2025 season. Hardy was originally drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, spending the season on the practice squad. Hardy played college football at Penn State where he appeared in 48 games, starting five. He had 60 tackles, 40 of them solo stops, 25 passes defensed, seven and a half tackles for a loss, five interceptions, three and a half sacks, and a forced fumble. He also returned punts and kickoffs for the Nittany Lions. He finished tied for fourth in school history with two punt returns for a touchdown, both of them taking place his senior season against the University of Massachusetts.
Defensive back Jack Henderson: Henderson, who was signed to the Steelers practice squad on Oct. 6 but later released, originally signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft. He also spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on their practice squad. Henderson spent two seasons at the University of Minnesota where he played in 26 games. He recorded 103 tackles, 61 of them solo stops, 14 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, five passes defensed, three interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Prior to transferring to Minnesota, he spent three seasons at Southeastern Louisiana where he played in 33 games and recorded 163 tackles, 93 of them solo stops, 12 tackles for a loss and six interceptions.
Defensive end K.J. Henry: Henry, who was signed to the Steelers practice squad on Oct. 12 but later released, was originally drafted in the fifth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders. Henry has played in 14 career games, with three starts, during his time with multiple teams including the Commanders (2023), Cincinnati Bengals (2024) and Dallas Cowboys (2024). He has 22 career tackles and two and a half sacks. Henry has spent time on the Cleveland Browns and most recently Philadelphia Eagles practice squads as well. He played college football at Clemson where he appeared in 48 games and recorded 13 sacks.
Receiver Max Hurleman: Hurleman was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent following a tryout during rookie minicamp in 2025. He spent the season on the practice squad. Hurleman appeared in 51 games in five college seasons, starting 23. He had 194 carries for 814 yards and one touchdown. He also is hailed for his punt return ability, returning 49 punts for 353 yards, a 7.2-yard average. Hurleman spent his first four seasons at Colgate University before transferring to Notre Dame in 2024 where he played mainly on special teams.
Defensive back D'Shawn Jamison: Jamison spent the 2025 season on the Steelers practice squad. Jamison was elevated for the Week 11 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Week 17 against Cleveland Browns, Week 18 game against the Baltimore Ravens and the Steelers Wild Card game against the Houston Texans. Jamison was signed to a Reserve/Future contract at the end of the 2024 season and spent training camp and the preseason with the team in 2025. Jamison also spent time on the Steelers practice squad during the 2024 season. Jamison originally signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft. He was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers and appeared in 15 games for the Panthers in 2023, starting two. He finished the season with five tackles, three of them solo stops, and one pass defensed. Jamison played college football at the University of Texas where he appeared in 60 games, starting 40 of them. He recorded 139 tackles, 109 of them solo stops, six tackles for a loss, 23 passes defensed, two fumble recoveries, one sack and one forced fumble.
Offensive guard Steven Jones: Jones was originally signed by the Steelers to a Reserve/Future contract following the 2024 season and spent the 2025 preseason with the team. He spent the entire season on the practice squad. Jones originally signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon where he started all 14 games his senior season at right guard for an offensive line that led the nation with just five sacks allowed for the second year in a row.
Offensive lineman Doug Nester: Nester was signed to the practice squad on Dec. 11. Nester spent the 2024 season on the Steelers practice squad and was signed to a Reserve/Future contract following the season. Nester originally signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft. Nester played college football at West Virginia where he appeared in 57 games, starting 52 of them. In 2023 he played in 12 games, starting 11, with 660 offensive snaps and didn't allow a sack.
Running back Lew Nichols: Nichols spent the 2025 season on the practice squad after he was signed during training camp. Nichols was elevated for the Steelers-Colts game in Week 9, playing on special teams. Nichols was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, spending most of the season on the Reserve/Injured List. He has since spent time on the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad. Nichols played college football at Central Michigan where he rushed for 1,710 yards in 2021, leading the nation. He was the Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2021.
Receiver John Rhys Plumlee: Plumlee, who spent part of the 2025 season on the Steelers practice squad, originally signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft. He also spent time with the Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars. Plumlee played college football at Central Florida where he appeared in 52 career games, starting 33. At the quarterback position, Plumlee completed 464 of 760 passes for 5,838 yards and 34 touchdowns. As a receiver, he had 26 receptions for 296 yards. In 2023 he completed 161 of 256 passes for 2,271 yards and 15 touchdowns at Central Florida, after beginning his college career at Mississippi, where he played in 29 games, starting 10.
Receiver Brandon Smith: Smith spent part of the last two seasons with the New York Jets, on both the active roster and practice squad. He appeared in three games for the Jets. Smith also spent time with the New England Patriots, on their practice squad at the end of the 2025 season, Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals. He also played for the D.C. Defenders of the UFL. Smith played college football at Iowa where he appeared in 39 games, starting 26. He had 91 receptions for 1,046 yards and nine touchdowns.
Linebacker Julius Welschof: Welschof spent the 2025 season on the Steelers practice squad. Welschof was signed to a Reserve/Future contract following the 2024 season and spent the 2025 preseason with the team. Welschof was originally signed by the team as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft and spent time on the practice squad during the season. He started at defensive end for Charlotte but had his 2023 season cut short due to injury, playing in four games. He began his career at Michigan where he played in 35 games. In 2022, he played in 14 games. He is from Miesbach, Bavaria, Germany.
Offensive tackle Aiden Williams: Williams was originally signed by the Steelers following the 2025 NFL Draft as an undrafted free agent from Minnesota-Duluth. He was released before the season and also spent time with the Carolina Panthers. He played in 40 games over four seasons, including 11 games each for the last three years. Williams was a 2023 NSIC All-Conference second team selection as well as a key part of the school leading the conference and ranked seventh in the NCAA in rushing offense. He was also named All-NSIC second team in 2022. Williams is from Anchorage, Alaska.
