The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing former New England Patriots wide receiver TJ Luther, as first reported by Alan Saunders of Steelers Now and confirmed to PennLive. In a related move, the Steelers released/injured wide receiver Tarik Black after he suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday.
The Steelers invited Luther to a tryout two weeks ago and now that Black is injured, he will have the opportunity to show what he can do in training camp.
Luther has a history of focusing specifically on kickoffs. The Gardner-Webb product went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft and has spent time with the Patriots and New York Jets. The Jets were the team that nabbed him as an undrafted free agent.
Luther was part of the Patriots’ practice squad during the season but did not make it past the team’s OTAs as the Patriots released him in June. He has been auditioning with various teams ahead of training camp for the past few months and is now getting his chance to join the Steelers after Black suffered an injury.
Luther was First-Team All-Big South in 2022 and rushed for over 1,000 yards at Gardner-Webb. In addition to a productive senior year, the 6-foot-1 receiver delivered solid test results, running a 4.5-second 40-yard dash. He is viewed as a player who can play inside or outside and be included on the kick and punt return lines in the coming weeks.