Following the three cuts made during the 2024 NFL trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Steelers quickly filled one of their open practice squad spots.
According to Steelers Now beat reporter Alan Saunders on X, the Steelers have added former [Cincinnati] Bengals defensive end Domenique Davis to their practice squad. “Davis spent the last two and a half seasons in Cincinnati after playing in the USFL and D-II ball.”
Aaron Wilson, an NFL insider for KPRC 2, verified this deal on November 5.
In 2020, Davis made his league debut as an undrafted rookie from North Carolina-Pembroke. Later following summer, he was cut after signing with the New York Jets organization.
According to The Football Database, Davis played for the TSL Jousters in the Spring League after leaving the NFL for a few seasons. Before returning to the NFL that summer, he later joined the USFL Houston Gamblers in the spring of 2022.
Davis then found a home with the Bengals, where he has remained ever since.
Although he only played in two regular season games with the Bengals, the longtime Cincy staff favorite provided organizational depth from 2022 to a portion of 2024. In his career, he has 1.5 preseason sacks and three regular season tackles.
Despite his preseason performances, Davis has not yet recorded a sack during the regular season. He recorded 3.5 sacks while playing for the Gamblers in the USFL.
With Montravius Adams sidelined, the Steelers bolster their defensive tackle.
With veteran Montravius Adams on the injured reserve, the Davis signing attempts to bolster the depth behind Keeanu Benton.
Although it is seen as a weaker position on the roster, Pittsburgh currently has Breiden Fehoko and Jacob Slade on the practice squad.
Some media outlets even speculated before the deadline that the Steelers might try to trade for a defensive lineman in the interior, and maybe general manager Omar Khan agreed. But no motion was made, and in that sense, the quick D-tackle addition makes some sense.
Davis is 330 pounds and 6 feet 2 inches tall. This places the 28-year-old lineman, like Fehoko and Slade, on the smaller side of the Steelers DL.
Whether he performs enough to remain in Pittsburgh for the rest of the season will be determined.
At the NFL Trade Deadline, the Steelers prioritize making wise, economical purchases.
The general consensus was that the Steelers’ two deadline transactions were low-risk moves that may have a significant impact, and The Athletic gave them a “B” and a “B+.”
On November 5, Nick Farabaugh, a PennLive writer, talked about the specifics of each reasonable trade return.
