The Pittsburgh Steelers re-signed former Penn State and Penn Hills defensive back Daequan Hardy from their practice squad, the team announced on Tuesday.
Hardy had first signed with the team on Nov. 4 . He was not elevated from the practice squad and did not appear in a game before being released on Nov. 26.
Hardy was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft. He spent his first season in Buffalo on the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with Buffalo on Jan. 27. After the preseason, Hardy was released by the Bills as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released by Buffalo again on Aug. 28.
Hardy played for five seasons for the Nittany Lions, appearing in 48 games and making 60 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 20 pass defenses and five interceptions. In pre-draft testing, the 5-foot-9 3/8, 179-pound Hardy posted a 4.38-second 40-yard dash and a 42.5-inch vertical.
In high school, Hardy played on the same 7-on-7 team as fellow Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and Mike Tomlin's son, Dino Tomlin.
"Me, Joey (Porter Jr.), Dino, we all played on the same 7-on-7 team," Hardy said in April of 2024 . "So, I would always be around Mike Tomlin."
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Daequan Hardy goes 56 yards for the first of his two punt return touchdowns for UMass.
Buffalo Bills defensive back Daequan Hardy during a preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 17, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
In addition to releasing Hardy, the Steelers also cut wide receiver Cornell Powell , who had been signed when the Steelers released Hardy last week.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers Bring Back Recently Released Local Defensive Back
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