Steelers Cut Mike Farrell, Sign Tight End Nathan Overbay

The Steelers have not yet confirmed the extent of Matt Spaeth’s foot injury, yet they could be tipping their hand with their actions.

• Or not.

One day after Matt Spaeth was carted off the field with what Mike Tomlin confirmed was a foot injury, the Steelers cut undrafted free agent rookie Mike Farrell who was hoping to make the team as an offensive tackle, and replaced him with tight end Nathan Overbay.

• While Farrell’s chances of making the final roster were remote, he was both a former Penn State player with roots to Pittsburgh and a slot on the practice squad seemed to be a possibility.

According to the site Behind the Steel Curtain, Overbay entered the NFL in 2010 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but did not dress for a game with them. He signed a futures contract with the Detroit Lions but was cut according to BTSC, but the website Pro Football Reference lists him on the rosters of the 2011 and 2012 Detroit Lions, although he recorded no statistics.  (ESPN and NFL.com do not list any stats for the Lions.)

The idea that the Steelers might be tipping their hand is questionable given Overbay’s sketchy pedigree and given the fact that depth at offensive tackle remains at issue for the Steelers as highlighted by the team’s decision to sign D’Anthony Batiste (another player with a questionable track record.

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