The Steelers continue to build their 2016 off season roster with an eye toward building that all elusive depth at defensive line.
Steelers sign free agent DT Roy Philon. Played at Louisville. Spent time in camps with Bears, Lions since 2014
— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) February 22, 2016
The Steelers signed defensive tackle Roy Philon to a futures contract. Philion played his college ball at Louisville, where he saw action in all four year, recording 8 sacks, 24 and a half tackles for losses, and defending one pass.
If the headline “Steelers sign Roy Philon” rings a bell with Steelers fans it should. Roy Philon was part of the Steelers 2014 undrafted rookie free agent class and played in all four of the Steelers preseason contests but got a visit from The Turk on the final roster cut down day.
As Bouchette’s tweet indicates, Roy Philon managed to spend time in Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions uniforms, but as Dan Sanger of The Steelers Wire confirms, he has never suited up for an actual NFL game. Philon appears to have stayed on with the Lions through training camp, only to find himself on the wrong end of a knock on the door from The Turk at the end of August.
Standing at 6-3 and weighing in at 193 puts Philon at just the right weight for a defensive end in John Mitchell’s system, but Philon must compete with whomever the Steelers pick in the 2016 NFL Draft along with their 2016 undrafted free agent rookie class simply to make it to St. Vincents.
