Sunday was an important day in the NFL, as teams were allowed to claim players who were released during Saturday's cut deadline. Only 17 found new homes and received second chances, but the Pittsburgh Steelers brought back two familiar faces by claiming quarterback Joshua Dobbs and defensive back Sean Davis. Both players had spent time with the Steelers previously, but spent this offseason with other clubs. After it didn't work out with their new teams, the Steelers decided to bring them back to give them a chance to make the roster.
Dobbs was originally selected by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of the University of Tennessee. He saw time in five games during the 2018 season as Ben Roethlisberger's backup, and completed 6 of 12 passes for 43 yards and one interception. Dobbs battled with Mason Rudolph again for the right to back up Roethlisberger last preseason, and the latter won the competition -- which led to Dobbs' release. He was picked up by the Jacksonville Jaguars, but did not receive any playing time behind Nick Foles and Gardner Minshew in 2019.
One has to wonder if the Steelers wish they kept Dobbs on roster since Roethlisberger missed the majority of last season with an elbow injury. Rudolph and Devlin Hodges struggled in his absence, and the latter was released in order to make room for Dobbs on the roster, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The Steelers are also bringing back Davis, who was selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of the University of Maryland. In three seasons with the Steelers, he started in 41 of the 48 games he played in, and recorded 247 combined tackles, 20 passes defensed and five interceptions. He was signed by the Washington Football Team in free agency, but was surprisingly released on Saturday. Davis' versatility and experience with the Steelers could help secure a final roster spot with Pittsburgh in 2020. The Steelers are set to kick off the 2020 season against the New York Giants on Monday, Sept. 14.