After selecting nine players in the NFL Draft over the weekend, the Steelers didn't have a lot of room for undrafted free agents.
The team had just six open slots on the roster following the draft and used those to shore up some positions of need, mostly at defensive back and outside linebacker.
At defensive back, the team signed a pair of former Big 10 stars, adding Penn State safety Lamont Wade and Michigan State cornerback Shakur Brown.
Wade, a Clairton, Pa., native, is an undersized safety (5-9, 180 pounds) who ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash at his pro day. He had one interception and three sacks in four seasons for the Nittany Lions.
Brown, who projects to nickel corner, had five interceptions in 2020 and seven for his career.
The Steelers also signed former Duke corner Mark Gilbert, who has struggled with injuries the past three seasons, playing in just four games because of hip and ankle issues. But in 2017, he recorded six interceptions as sophomore.
The Steelers also added a pair of linebackers in Kentucky's Jamar Watson and Calvin Bundage of Oklahoma State.
Watson (6-2, 241) had 18.5 sacks in his career for Kentucky, including 5.0 in 2020.
Bundage (6-0, 221) excelled as a blitzer for the Cowboys in 2020, recording 7.5 sacks.
Hawaii wide receiver Rico Bussey (6-2, 190), who had 31 catches for 274 yards and a touchdown in 2020, also will sign with the team, as will Florida safety Donovan Stiner.
Finishing off the UFAs for the Steelers is Kent State's Isaiah McKoy, a 6-2, 200-pound wide receiver who had 25 catches for 455 yards and five touchdowns in just four games in 2020. The MAC didn't play many games last season because of COVID-19 concerns.
Also reportedly signing with the Steelers was first-year cornerback DeMarcus Acy, who was in training camp last summer with the 49ers. Acy, a Missouri product, was released by San Francisco at the end of training camp.