For the fourth time since training camp opened, the Pittsburgh Steelers have brought back a familiar face, this time signing former fourth-round offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins off the Houston Texans’ practice squad to their 53-man roster in order to serve as depth following Zach Banner’s season-ending knee injury.
Hawkins, a 2016 draft choice, spent two of his first three seasons on injured reserve. After recovering from a torn quad, he was given the opportunity to compete for the starting right tackle job last Summer in a competition that also included Matt Feiler, Chukwuma Okorafor, and Banner.
He proved to be the odd man out, and the Steelers took advantage of that opportunity to trade him, sending him and a 2021 seventh-round pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 2021 sixth-round pick.