Alex Tecza didn’t arrive in Pittsburgh as a complete stranger. He had already tried out during rookie minicamp, grew up in Mt. Lebanon just outside the city and had spent his college career at Navy alongside Steelers draft pick Eli Heidenreich. But an NFL roster spot can disappear faster than a hometown connection can help.

Because four days later, Tecza was back on the market. Mike McCarthy was sounding increasingly comfortable with four quarterbacks, meaning one extra spot at one position could become a loss somewhere else. The first answers arrived Friday, just 72 hours before the final roster deadline.

“#Steelers have released 11 players. They have until Sunday at 6 PM to reach the limit of 53,” Bob Pompeani posted on X.

Those 11 players include TE Jaheim Bell, OL Greg Crippen, DB Jaylon Guilbeau, DB Jack Henderson, DB Brandon Hill, WR Jakobie Keeney-James, DB Tamon Lynum, DB Daryl Porter, WR Cornell Powell, RB Alex Tecza, and WR Isaiah Winstead.

A lot of these guys were relatively recent additions. Crippen came in as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan this season, while Tecza and Guilbeau had barely unpacked, having signed on Sunday, August 24. An even more short-lived addition was Hill, who arrived the following day and was gone by Friday.

Bell, heading into his third pro season after New England drafted him in round seven back in 2024, also spent time with the Eagles before landing in Pittsburgh.

Keeney-James arrived in early August after a stint with the Packers, and both Powell and Winstead signed on around mid-August.

Henderson’s path was a bit more winding; he first joined Pittsburgh’s practice squad last October, bounced to Miami late in the season, then came back on a deal over the winter. Rounding things out, Lynum signed as an undrafted free agent back in May, and Porter joined in early June.

The moves brought Pittsburgh’s roster from 91 players to 80, leaving 27 more spots to clear before Sunday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline. But for the 11 players released Friday, the transaction doesn’t necessarily have to be the final chapter.

Roster-cut week can move quickly in both directions. Depending on their waiver status and eligibility, players can be claimed by another team or, if they clear the process, become candidates for a practice squad, including Pittsburgh’s. The Steelers will also be able to build a 16-player practice squad after the league’s cutdown process is complete.

That makes the next few days particularly interesting for someone like Tecza, whose hometown opportunity lasted only four days, and Hill, a Pitt product whose second stint in the area was even shorter. Friday closed one door for now, but NFL roster churn has a way of reopening doors just as quickly.

Thursday night’s preseason finale against Buffalo gave the coaching staff a real look at how the young guys handle pressure, and McCarthy came away encouraged by what the extended workload revealed.

“These guys had to play a lot of football tonight,” McCarthy said. “And a couple of guys were really stressed between special teams and offense and defense. So, as a whole, I feel really good about our body of work that we were able to accomplish, not just the quarterbacks.”

He also pointed to what comes next.

“It gives us a chance to set a plan as we go into these next 72 hours and get the roster in the best position we possibly can, but then move on and get ready for Atlanta,” McCarthy added.

That Atlanta comment matters. The Steelers open their season against the Falcons in Week 1, and the clock is now running on the decisions that will shape that group.

Beyond the final roster decisions, there’s still a bigger question looming over the quarterback room: Will the Steelers actually carry four on the active roster?

For now, Friday’s 11 moves were only the opening round. Pittsburgh still has 27 decisions, or roster adjustments, to make before Sunday. And for the players already released, the next transaction could determine whether Friday was a final goodbye or simply another turn in the NFL’s most unforgiving weekend.