Steelers activate DeShon Elliott, elevate two receivers for Saints game
On Oct. 24, 2026, the Pittsburgh Steelers activated safety DeShon Elliott from the Reserve/Injured List and elevated wide receivers Brandon Johnson and Brandon Smith from the practice squad to the active/inactive list for the teams game against the New Orleans Saints, the club announced on Steelers.com. The team said both receivers will revert to the practice squad following the game. The moves were reported in the franchises official transaction log on Oct. 24.
Elliott returned to practice on Oct. 8 and the Steelers had a 21-day window to move him to the active roster or leave him on the Reserve/Injured List for the remainder of the season, per the teams announcement. He had been placed on the Reserve/Injured List on Aug. 30. Elliott, in his third season with Pittsburgh, has played in 77 career games with 69 starts and has compiled 429 tackles (291 solo), 25 passes defensed, five interceptions, six forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and 4.5 sacks, according to the teams transaction release.
Brandon Johnson was elevated from the practice squad after previously being called up for the Week 6 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Johnson returned to the Steelers practice squad in 2026 after spending time there in 2024 and 2025 and originally signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He has appeared in 23 career games with three starts, totaling 26 receptions for 335 yards and five touchdowns, and played his college football at the University of Central Florida.
Brandon Smith has been elevated before this season, including for the Week 5 game against the Indianapolis Professional Football Team and the Week 6 game against Tampa Bay. Smith signed a Reserve/Future contract with the Steelers at the end of the 2025 season and has spent parts of the 2024 and 2025 campaigns with the New York Jets active roster and practice squad, as well as time with the New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals. He also played for the D.C. Defenders of the UFL and played collegiately at Iowa.
The club also noted that veteran receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling was signed to the practice squad earlier in the week after appearing in three games for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2026, when he had two receptions for 22 yards. Valdes-Scantling previously spent time on the Steelers practice squad in 2025 and appeared in five games for Pittsburgh that season, finishing with 10 receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown. For his career, he has appeared in 119 games with 70 starts and owns 221 receptions for 3,708 yards and 21 touchdowns, the teams transaction summary shows.
NFL Sports Blog Take
The activation of DeShon Elliott restores an experienced presence to the Steelers secondary after his return to practice in early October and gives Pittsburgh a veteran who has started the vast majority of his career games. Elevating Brandon Johnson and Brandon Smith provides game-day depth at receiver while preserving roster flexibility, with both players scheduled to revert to the practice squad after the game. Adding Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the practice squad earlier in the week further increases options at receiver, and the moves reflect the clubs short-term approach to bolstering depth for the upcoming matchup.