Steelers reduce roster by five, including waiving Brooks taken on the South Side (Steelers)

KARL ROSER / STEELERS

Antoine Brooks

When training camp opened, Antoine Brooks was listed as the Steelers' starting nickel cornerback.

Tuesday, Brooks was waived/injured after spending the past three weeks nursing an unspecified injury.

Brooks, a second-year safety out of Maryland, was a sixth-round draft pick of the Steelers in 2020. He appeared in four games last season, making two tackles and getting a handful of snaps at slot corner in place of injured Mike Hilton.

The Steelers did not re-sign Hilton as a free agent this year and Brooks was considering a leading contender to take that spot. But had missed most of the past two weeks and both of the team's past two preseason games with an injury that made winning the job difficult.

Veteran Arthur Maulet, signed in the offseason from the Jets, also had been competing at that spot, but suffered an ankle injury in last Saturday's 26-20 win over the Lions.

That means veteran corner Cam Sutton might be the last man standing as the Steelers' slot cornerback. Sutton, however, is expected to start on the outside opposite Joe Haden, meaning he would slide inside on passing downs and second-year corner James Pierre would take his place.

"We all know he can do at it. We wanted to put him in there to get some reps at it," defensive backs coach Teryl Austin said Tuesday of Sutton. "We wanted to get a look at some other guys, but we just got pressed into a situation last week where we were without some guys.

"It's hard to catch up if you're not practicing or you're not out there. ... The longer (Brooks) is out, the harder it is."

Apparently, the Steelers were tired of waiting, though they can re-sign Brooks once he clears waivers.

Also released to get down to the NFL's 80-man roster limit on Tuesday were linebacker Calvin Bundage, offensive lineman Aviante Collins, running back Pete Guerriero and wide receiver Tyler Simmons.

The Steelers will play their final preseason game Friday night at Carolina. Final cut downs to 53 players will occur by 4 p.m. Aug. 31.

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