The Steelers have placed kicker Chris Boswell on injured reserve and activated safety Damonte Kazee to the 53-man roster.
Boswell, who missed the Eagles game with a groin injury, won’t be eligible to return until the Dec. 11 game against the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers signed kicker Matthew Wright off the Chiefs practice squad earlier in the week. He will handle the kicking duties in Sunday’s game against the Saints.
It’s been a disappointing season for Boswell after he signed a four-year, $20 million contract this summer, a deal that made Boswell the NFL’s second-highest paid kicker behind Baltimore’s Justin Tucker.
Boswell made just 12 of his 16 field goal attempts before he was injured. In the previous three seasons combined, Boswell missed just seven field goals.
Wright, who filled in for Boswell for three games during the 2020 season, kicked in two games for the Chiefs this season, going 3 for 4 on field goal attempts, including a 59-yarder. Wright kicked for the Jaguars last season and made 21 of his 24 attempts.
Kazee, who injured his wrist and forearm in August, will play his first game for the Steelers. He was signed in the spring after spending his first five NFL seasons with the Falcons and Cowboys.
The Steelers could debut their “big nickel” package with Kazee against the Saints.
“I’m glad to have him back at practice,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “We’ll see how he comes out of this week and how much we’ll be able to use him. If we’re able to use him, I’ll try to find some places to get him in the game. It may just be regular defense; it may not just be three safeties.
“We may get him regular defense, three-safety defense, whatever it might be, because I think he’s a good football player. So, we’ll work through that at the end of the week and as we get closer, we’ll kind of narrow those things down.”
The Steelers did not activate linebacker T.J. Watt to the 53-man roster Thursday. They must do that by Saturday at 4 p.m. if he is going to be eligible to play in the Saints game.
The Steelers don’t have to list Watt on the injury report this week because he’s not on the 53-man roster.
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.
First Published: November 10, 2022, 9:32 p.m.