![\"Steelers](\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2051350336.jpg?quality=65&strip=all&w=780\")
<\/p>\nThe\u00a0Pittsburgh Steelers\u00a0have a full cornerback room this offseason. After Tuesday, though, it\u2019s a little less crowded with the departure of defensive back\u00a0Daequan Hardy.<\/p>\n
NFL insider Aaron Wilson reported\u00a0the Steelers waived Hardy on Tuesday. The defensive back is currently dealing with an injury.<\/p>\n
Aaron Wilson<\/p>\n
@AaronWilson_NFL<\/p>\n
\u00b7Follow<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
#Steelers waived injured Daequan Hardy<\/p>\n
10:48 am \u00b7 5 May 2026<\/p>\n
11Reply<\/p>\n
Hardy played high school football at Penn Hills, which is roughly 30 minutes east of Acrisure Stadium in downtown Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
From 2019-23,\u00a0Hardy played\u00a0defensive back for the Penn State Nittany\u00a0Lions. In 48 college games, he registered 60 combined tackles, including 7.5 tackles. Hardy also recorded 20 pass defenses, five interceptions and 3.5 sacks for Penn State.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Buffalo Bills\u00a0selected Hardy at No. 219 overall in the sixth round of\u00a0the 2024 NFL Draft.\u00a0He has yet\u00a0to play in an\u00a0NFL\u00a0regular season game.<\/p>\n
Steelers Waive CB Daequan Hardy: Report<\/p>\n
Hardy had been on the Steelers roster for the better part of the past six months. The Steelers first signed the cornerback to their practice squad on November 4.<\/p>\n
The team released him\u00a0just before Thanksgiving but re-added him to the practice squad in early December. In January, the Steelers signed Hardy to a reserve\/futures contract.<\/p>\n
Hardy making his NFL debut with his hometown team this fall would have been an incredible story. But it was unlikely to happen.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the Steelers could bring him back when he recovers from his injury. However, the team has more cornerback depth this offseason than in a long time.<\/p>\n
Hardy didn\u2019t make the Bills roster after his first NFL preseason two years ago. But Hardy returned to Buffalo on the team\u2019s practice squad.<\/p>\n
The cornerback again didn\u2019t make the Bills last preseason. He was a free agent beginning in late August until the Steelers signed him in November.<\/p>\n
Steelers CB Depth Entering NFL Rookie Minicamp<\/p>\n
Cornerback roster spots could be hard to come by with the Steelers this preseason.<\/p>\n
Joey Porter Jr.\u00a0returns as the team\u2019s top cornerback. The team signed veteran\u00a0Jamel Dean\u00a0in NFL free agency to pair him with Porter.<\/p>\n
Then in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Steelers added\u00a0Daylen Everette\u00a0during the third round. The Steelers also have\u00a0Asante Samuel Jr.,\u00a0Cory Trice Jr.\u00a0and\u00a0Doneiko Slaughter\u00a0on\u00a0the offseason roster.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s only the projected outside cornerbacks. Versatile defensive back\u00a0Jalen Ramsey\u00a0could play slot cornerback when not at safety this season. The Steelers also have\u00a0Brandin Echols,\u00a0D\u2019Shawn Jamison\u00a0and undrafted rookie\u00a0Devan Boykin\u00a0as nickel options.<\/p>\n
With that group, it\u2019s hard envisioning Hardy could have made the Steelers roster. That would be the case even if Ramsey only played safety.<\/p>\n
The Steelers will get their first look at Everette and Boykin during the team\u2019s rookie minicamp this weekend. It\u2019s likely other cornerbacks will be at the camp on a tryout basis as well.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s possible the Steelers released Hardy with another cornerback in mind to add. More than likely, though, the team just wanted to add a healthier player to the offseason roster.<\/p>\n
After rookie minicamp from May 8-10,\u00a0the Steelers will\u00a0resume their offseason workouts with the entire team on May 18. Pittsburgh\u2019s mandatory minicamp will be June 2-4.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The\u00a0Pittsburgh Steelers\u00a0have a full cornerback room this offseason. After Tuesday, though, it\u2019s a little less crowded with the departure of defensive back\u00a0Daequan Hardy. NFL insider Aaron Wilson… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":45663,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n