The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a bit of a bumpy season through four games in 2026. The team is 2-2, and it is starting to become clearer how this team might look throughout the rest of the year. That means weaknesses on the roster are being recognized, and issues with depth are becoming clear in certain areas. General Manager Omar Khan is going to look to clean those areas up, and he started doing that by signing cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting on Monday.
Joseph Maiorana / Imagn Images
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan standing on the sidelines before an NFL game in Cincinnati.
The general manager addressed the cornerback position on Monday, and he then went out and signed defensive end KJ Henry on Tuesday. Henry was most recently waived by the San Francisco 49ers after getting hurt during training camp, and he is apparently healthy now as he was picked up by Pittsburgh. The signing was initially reported by Mike Garafolo.
The #Steelers are signing DE KJ Henry to the practice squad after his workout yesterday. Henry was impressing with the #49ers in camp before an injury cut his summer short. pic.twitter.com/woTSL0PE4w
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 6, 2026
Henry might sound familiar to Pittsburgh fans, and that is because he has had multiple stints in Pittsburgh. He spent some time on the practice squad back during the 2025 season, and he was then signed to begin the 2026 offseason before ultimately being waived in June. He now returns to Pittsburgh for a third time, and he will likely be hitting the practice squad to begin with.
Jim Dedmon / Imagn Images
Former Carolina Panthers running back Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams (34) tries to elude former Cleveland Browns defensive end KJ Henry (52) during a game at Bank of America Stadium.
Henry has bounced around a ton in his NFL career. He was initially drafted by the Washington Commanders in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He only spent one season with Washington before being waived, and he was picked up by the Cincinnati Bengals. He has really only been on active rosters in 2023 and 2024, and ever since then he has been surviving on various practice squads around the league. He has been signed by seven different teams in just four seasons, and he has changed teams 10 times in total. This signing doesn't add much value, but maybe he can be some sort of a surprise on the practice squad.
He has seen the field in just 15 games over four years, so fans should not expect much out of Henry. He may be elevated at some point for depth purposes, but that will probably be the extent of his involvement with the Steelers. Based on how often he has changed teams up until this point in his career, it is fair to assume he might not be in Pittsburgh by the time the regular season ends.
Henry was having an impressive training camp with the San Francisco 49ers before getting hurt ahead of the 2026 season, but that doesn't mean he can be a contributor in Pittsburgh.
Steelers Might Not Even Need The Depth KJ Henry Provides
Henry is a traditional defensive end, which Pittsburgh technically doesn't even use in its defense. The Steelers use outside linebackers to set the edge, and it is well-documented how strong the franchise already is at that position. The Steelers do not necessarily need any more depth there by any means, so Henry may have been signed for special teams purposes. He doesn't have the frame or build to play inside at defensive tackle, so this is an interesting signing that shouldn't be looked at too hard.
The Steelers also love familiarity, and the franchise has spent some time with Henry in the past. He has been here before under this coaching staff, so he knows the defense. That probably played a bigger role in the signing than the idea of him actually being elevated and contributing in a game. He is someone to keep an eye on as the season continues on.
What do you think of the Steelers bringing Henry back? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
#SteelerNation