The Pittsburgh Steelers added another receiver to the mix, signing Colton Dowell and waiving A.T. Perry to clear a roster spot.
Dowell arrives after being claimed off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers, who let him go on Thursday. The 49ers had brought him in on a futures contract in January, but as their receiver group got healthier, he became the odd man out.
For Dowell, this is another stop in a career that has already bounced around. The Tennessee Titans made him a seventh-round pick out of UT Martin in the 2023 NFL Draft, and he stayed with the organization through the 2024 season. In the NFL, though, the production has been limited: he has one catch for three career receiving yards.
His path has also included a brief return to the waiver wire last year, when the Titans cut him during training camp. He landed with the Baltimore Ravens on their practice squad, but that stay lasted only five days.
Dowell brings a big frame at 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds, along with a 4.44 40-yard dash from his pre-draft workout. At UT Martin, where he began his college career in 2017 and finished in 2022, he became the school’s all-time leader in receiving yards with 2,796, while also posting 177 catches and 18 touchdowns.
Now the challenge is simple: make enough of an impression to stick with Pittsburgh, either on the active roster or the practice squad, even though he’s joining the team later in the process.
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