The Pittsburgh Steelers have release two-time former Super Bowl champion wide receiver Cornell Powell , ending his second stint with the club, the team announced on Friday.
The Steelers hosted Powell for a tryout on Aug. 7 and signed him on Aug. 10. He appeared in the team's second and third preseason games, catching three of six targets for 23 yards. Powell appeared in 40 total snaps, playing outside wide receiver and also working on the Steelers' punt, punt return and kick return teams.
He also was with the Steelers in 2025, signing with the Steelers' practice squad on Nov. 26 . He was not elevated and did not appear in any games before his release on Dec. 2.
Powell, 28, is a former fifth-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in his fifth professional season. Powell won two Super Bowl rings early in his career with the Chiefs. He spent four seasons in Kansas City, but played in just three games, and had only three snaps of offense. Powell did play 28 snaps of special teams, all coming during the 2022 season.
Clemson wide receiver Cornell Powell(17) catches a pass during during the first quarter of the NCAA football game between the Clemson Tigers and Pitt Panthers on November 28, 2020: at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. — Carl Ackerman
He was released by Kansas City on Nov. 19, 2024, and caught on with the Seattle Seahawks for the end of that season. He re-signed with Seattle for 2025, but was waived on Feb. 22.
Powell signed with the DC Defenders of the UFL last spring. In nine games with DC, he caught 29 passes for 418 yards and a league-high seven touchdowns on the way to a UFL title. That was enough to get him another shot in the NFL with the Houston Texans, but he was cut at the of training camp.
He was back with the Defenders this spring, starting nine games and making 39 catches for 491 yards, but scoring just once this season.
The 6-foot, 204-pound Powell spent his five collegiate seasons at Clemson, winning two College Football Playoff national championships. His most productive season came as a redshirt junior in 2020, when he caught 53 passes for 882 yards and seven touchdowns.
Powell was one of 11 players released on Friday . The Steelers have until 6 p.m. on Sunday to complete their cut-down process, to get from 91 players to the league-mandated minimum of 53.
He will now go through waivers until 1 p.m. on Monday, when Powell will be eligible to be added to the Steelers practice squad.
Related Headlines
