With the deadline for the final roster cuts fast approaching, the Pittsburgh Steelers are still on the lookout for quality acquisitions to strengthen their roster. This Sunday, three defensive backs had their tryouts to find a spot on the Steelers roster, and one among them has a Super Bowl to his resume.

Eli Ricks was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. In the team’s Super Bowl-winning season, he appeared in seven games and won the biggest laurel in the sport. However, since then, things have not been moving in the best way for Ricks.

In 2025, he was released by the franchise. Since then, he has not managed to make an NFL appearance, but if this tryout went as planned, Ricks could make his way back into the league.

At 24, Ricks doesn’t come with a stacked resume but an impressive one nonetheless. Ricks is a cornerback with a story of resilience and someone willing to grind out to get results. 

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In 2020, he was a freshman at LSU and had four interceptions. In 2021, a shoulder injury put him out of action, and he transferred to Alabama in 2022. Despite coming back from the injury to impress at the Crimson Tide, Ricks went undrafted in the 2023 draft. 

In 2023, he played 16 games for the Eagles, making 13 solo tackles in a total of 19 tackles and even defended three passes. In 2024, he played seven games and made only one solo tackle before finding himself on the practice squad for the Eagles in 2025.

While he made his way and also found his way out of the 53-man roster at the Eagles, Ricks’ journey is just proof that he is willing to put in the hard yards, and the Steelers may look at that when they are weighing out their options. 

What makes Ricks a top choice is his ability to play on the special teams. Alongside contributing to the secondary, Ricks has also taken 263 special team snaps. With the Steelers having waived Laith Marjan, Ricks could be a player they could add to help fill the positional needs in both positions.

Two others tryout for Steelers

Ricks was joined by defensive backs Dee Williams and Jaylon Guilbeau. Williams represented the Seattle Seahawks 12 times in the 2024 season before spending last season with the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns. 

Of the three players at the tryout, Guilbeau is the only one who hasn’t ever featured in the NFL, going undrafted and spending three months over the summer with the Carolina Panthers to no effect. 

While it is unlikely that any of these players will make the 53-man-roster, the team has invited them to the tryouts because of the defensive solidity that a Patrick Graham system demands.

One problem the Steelers face in defence is the nickelback position. Though Jalen Ramsey has come back from the PUP list, the status of all three listed nickelbacks is currently questionable. 

After a two-year stint with the Steelers from 2023 and a year away at the Las Vegas Raiders, linebacker Elandon Roberts is back on a one-year deal. 

But cuts too have been made; safety Darnell Savage and undrafted kicker Laith Marjan have been released, which is why the Steelers have the option to add one more player to their 90-man squad. 

Will it be Ricks who makes the cut based on his time at the Eagles, or will it be Williams who played for the Seahawks before they became champions? Or will the Steelers look to go with Jaylon Gulbeau, the only one who hasn’t played in the NFL yet?

Time will tell what the final 90-man roster looks like for the Steelers, but whoever they pick, it’s unlikely that they will feature in the 53-man squad until something really goes wrong for the Steelers in the 2026 season.