The Pittsburgh Steelers waived offensive lineman Lorenzo Thompson from the team’s injured reserve with an injury settlement, per the NFL transaction wire.
Thompson was injured during the Steelers’ Saturday night practice, and the team waived/injured him earlier this week. He landed on IR on a split salary, but the team waived him from IR today with an injury settlement. Had he stayed on IR, he would’ve earned a split salary of $515,000.
Thompson had been working as a third-string offensive lineman, playing both guard and tackle during training camp. Thompson will look for a third NFL team; he previously played for the Cleveland Browns after going undrafted out of Rhode Island. Yet to make his NFL debut, Thompson will have an opportunity to find a new home now and potentially play this season now that he’s off IR.
Coming out of URI in 2024, Thompson measured in at 6060 and 307 pounds with 33″ arms. He put up 27 reps on the bench press and ran a 5.02 40-yard dash. He played 100 preseason snaps with the Browns in 2024 and 83 last season. Thompson originally signed a reserve/futures deal with the Steelers in January. The team previously hosted him for a workout in December when injuries struck the offensive line.
The Browns waived him last August.
The nature of Thompson’s injury that caused the team to waive/injured him is unknown. But had he stayed on IR, he would’ve needed to remain there for the entire season. By waiving him with an injury settlement, he’s free to play this year if healthy.
Thompson was the third player that the Steelers waived/injured since the spring, though both WR Cole Burgess and CB Daequan Hardy remain on the team’s IR. While we don’t know the injury settlement’s exact amount, it’s likely three weeks of his split salary, a $90,882 payment.