Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting. Getty
The Pittsburgh Steelers did not get the result they were hoping for in Week 4, as they suffered a 27-24 defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football. Making matters even worse, injuries are beginning to pile up for the Steelers, with their secondary in particular becoming quite shorthanded.
Pittsburgh obviously traded Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys last week, but it lost Jamel Dean to an ankle injury in its loss to Cleveland, and it has Jalen Ramsey playing through a broken wrist. Simply put, more depth is needed here, which is why the front office went and poached a Super Bowl-winning cornerback, Sean Murphy-Bunting, from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday.
Murphy-Bunting was selected by the Bucs in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he quickly took on a big role in their secondary. During his four seasons with Tampa Bay, Murphy-Bunting started 36 of the 53 games he appeared in, while also helping the team defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
After the 2022 campaign, Murphy-Bunting signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Tennessee Titans in free agency. He ended up turning in arguably the best season of his career (57 tackles, two interceptions, eight pass breakups, two forced fumbles), which helped him earn a three-year, $25.5 million contract from the Arizona Cardinals in the ensuing offseason.
While he enjoyed another strong year in 2024, Murphy-Bunting spent the entire 2025 campaign on the reserve/non-football injury list before getting released as part of Arizona's final roster cuts ahead of this season. The Bucs reunited with Murphy-Bunting and signed him to their practice squad, but now he's getting an immediate opportunity to help the Steelers' depleted secondary, as he's been signed off of Tampa Bay's practice squad to Pittsburgh's active roster.
The Steelers are signing veteran CB Sean Murphy-Bunting off the Bucs' practice squad, per source," Tom Pelissero of The Ringer reported in a post on X. "Murphy-Bunting has played in 82 NFL games (65 starts) and has 11 career interceptions. Some experienced depth for Pittsburgh after the Joey Porter Jr. trade.
GettyTampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting.
Murphy-Bunting hasn't suited up for an NFL game since the end of the 2024 campaign, but he brings a wealth of starting experience, which could allow him to immediately slot in for Dean if he is forced to miss time. Ramsey and Asante Samuel Jr. are the other starters at cornerback, with Daylen Everette, Brandin Echols , and Doneiko Slaughter also factoring into the mix.
The AFC North is quickly shaping up to be the most competitive division in the league, so the Steelers are going to have to start winning with more consistency if they want to find their way back to the playoffs this year. The team will draw another challenging matchup in Week 5, though, as it will welcome the Indianapolis Colts to town on Sunday afternoon.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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