Pittsburgh is making moves, and they’ve grabbed cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting off the Buccaneers’ practice squad. This move comes right after they traded Joey Porter Jr. to the Cowboys, making help for Pittsburgh’s secondary a top priority.
Who Is Sean Murphy-Bunting?
So, who exactly is Murphy-Bunting? He’s 29 years old, a second-round pick from back in 2019. Here’s the kicker though: he sat out the entire 2025 season with a torn ACL. Yeah, a torn ACL. He was with the Cardinals in 2024, played 15 games, and put up some decent numbers: 52 total tackles, three interceptions, five passes defensed, and two forced fumbles. The Cardinals ended up releasing him at roster cuts in August, and he landed on the Bucs’ practice squad before Pittsburgh came calling. He’s appeared in 82 career games, starting 65 of them, and boasts 34 career passes defensed along with 11 career interceptions. That’s experience, no doubt, but that ACL is a big question mark, especially when you’re jumping onto a team that just shipped out one of its own.
This pickup is all about depth and trying to fill a sudden void. Pittsburgh clearly needs bodies in their defensive backfield, but they’re bringing in a guy with a serious injury history. Will Murphy-Bunting be ready to contribute big right away, or will it take him time to get back to his 2024 form? The Steelers are banking on it, and you gotta wonder how this plays out for their defense.
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Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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