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Steelers Waive Promising Rookie Tight End
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- Steelers Waive Promising Rookie Tight End
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end JJ Galbreath during practice on Aug. 23, 2025. -- Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed undrafted rookie tight end JJ Galbreath on waivers, the team announced on Tuesday.
Galbreath was an intriguing prospect as a UDFA for the Steelers, joining the team out of South Dakota from the FCS level, showing strong athletic traits for a player from that level.
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A 6-foot-3 3/8, 231-pound tight end, Galbreath showed flashes of that athleticism at the NFL level, but did not turn that into production during a long preseason tryout.
With just established veterans Jonnu Smith , Pat Freiermuth , Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward ahead of him on the depth chart, Galbreath appeared in 106 offensive snaps over three preseason games for the Steelers.
Despite the long look, he was targeted only five times, making three catches for 23 yards.
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie tight end JJ Galbreath during rookie minicamp on May 9, 2025. — Ed Thompson
The Steelers may want Galbreath to add some muscle to his frame, and thus a season on the practice squad could be in order for the South Dakota product.
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Galbreath put up fantastic athletic testing scores in the pre-draft process, with a 4.67-second 40-yard dash, a 4.20-second shuttle, 6.82-second three-cone, 38-inch vertical and 10-foot-3 broad jump for an 8.4 out of 10 Relative Athletic Score.
A three-year starter for the Coyotes, Galbreath recorded 1,355 yards on 93 catches and had 12 touchdowns over his four-year college career.
The native of Arvada, Colorado joined South Dakota in 2020, redshirted during the canceled COVID-19 season, and then began his career in 2021 as a reserve tight end. He became a starter in 2022, became and honorable mention All-Missouri Valley pick in 2023 and was a first-team All-MVFC and an All-American as a senior in 2024.
His most productive collegiate games came as a senior in the FCS playoffs in 2024, when he had six catches each, for 45 yards against UC Davis and 68 yards against Montana State.
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Galbreath was released, along with 13 other players on Monday, as the Steelers cut down from 80 players to 67 . They have 14 more cuts to make before Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Galbreath will go through waivers, which will process at noon on Wednesday.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers Waive Promising Rookie Tight End
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