A.T. Perry had given the Steelers reasons to keep watching him through training camp. Then, with the preseason just around the corner, Pittsburgh made a receiver move that caught more than a few people off guard. The decision looked like another routine bottom-of-the-roster shuffle at first, but it lasted less than 48 hours. Now, Pittsburgh is back to square one.

“The #Steelers have waived WR Colton Dowell, two days after claiming him on waivers, per the NFL transactions wire,” reported Steelers Now analyst Alan Saunders on X on August 9. 

According to reports, Pittsburgh claimed Colton Dowell off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers on Friday, August 7. But there were already signs his stay might be a short one. Dowell did not practice during the Steelers’ only session while he was on the roster, a Saturday night workout at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.

Colton Dowell’s NFL stops have included Tennessee, Baltimore, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh, with Tennessee still the only team he has played for in a regular-season game.

Dowell entered the NFL with the Titans as a seventh-round pick in 2023. He appeared in 10 games as a rookie, making one start and catching one pass for three yards, while seeing most of his work on special teams. His season ended in Week 17 after he tore his ACL and meniscus, an injury that also kept him out for all of 2024. Tennessee brought him back in 2025 but waived him on July 24, 2025. The Baltimore Ravens then signed him to their practice squad in October, only to release him five days later without a game appearance.

Dowell signed a future deal with the San Francisco 49ers in January 2026 but was waived on August 6. The Steelers then claimed Dowell and tight end Lance Mason off waivers on August 7, waiving wide receiver A.T. Perry and tight end J.J. Galbreath in corresponding moves.

The receiver did not participate in Pittsburgh’s Saturday night practice and was waived on August 9, two days after he arrived. That briefly left the Steelers with an open roster spot.

Pittsburgh filled that opening the following day by signing wide receivers Cornell Powell and Isaiah Winstead, while releasing offensive tackle Lorenzo Thompson. The three August 10 moves returned the Steelers to their 90-man training-camp roster and underscored how quickly the team is continuing to evaluate the bottom of its roster before the preseason.

Perry had been having a solid training camp before the move, regularly working with Drew Allar during team periods. Still, he was fighting for a spot at the back end of a crowded receiver room and had not appeared in a regular-season game since 2023. That season with the Saints, Perry caught 12 passes for 246 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games. Pittsburgh also released tight end J.J. Galbreath in the same roster shuffle and used that opening to claim tight end Lance Mason off waivers.

That is why some fans were not sold on the decision. One Steelers fan called the move “strange” because Perry had been making plays in camp, while others said they still believed he had something to offer after flashing with the Saints. Pittsburgh clearly preferred to take a shot on Dowell, but that move lasted only two days. With Dowell already waived, cutting Perry now looks a little harder to justify.

But why so many changes right before the preseason? That is exactly the point. The Steelers are using these final practices and preseason games to sort out the bottom of the roster, test special-teams options, cover injuries and get a closer look at players who are fighting for the last few spots.

Pittsburgh opens its preseason schedule against the Green Bay Packers on August 13, giving players on the roster bubble their next meaningful chance to make a case. The game should offer a clearer audition for Pittsburgh’s fringe receivers and special-teams candidates as the team works toward its final roster decisions.

The Steelers may still be shuffling bodies at the bottom of the roster, but at least one move is going according to plan.

At least one move is working out

The Steelers made a notable trade in March 2026, acquiring Michael Pittman Jr. from the Indianapolis Colts. Pittsburgh sent the No. 214 pick, a sixth-rounder, to Indianapolis while receiving Pittman and the No. 230 pick in return. The move gave the Steelers a proven veteran receiver who had spent six seasons as one of the Colts’ top passing targets.

In his six seasons with Indianapolis, Pittman topped 500 receiving yards every year. He also posted two 1,000-yard seasons, finishing with 1,082 yards in 2021 and a career-high 1,152 yards in 2023. But his value has never been only about the numbers. Pittman has also built a reputation for consistency, and Pittsburgh showed its belief in him by trading for him and signing him to a new three-year contract.

His job is not easy, as he will be playing alongside one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, Aaron Rodgers. However, he is not allowing the pressure to corner him. 

“Obviously Aaron is one of the best to ever play, so I’m just trying to match him,” Pittman Jr. said. “We’re trying to get in as many reps as possible, so that’s why I kinda started out slow, and you’re seeing it ramp up more and more.”

With Pittman projected to start for the Steelers, the bigger question now is what Pittsburgh does with the open roster spot, including whether it considers bringing Perry back.