Steelers A to Z: CB Josiah Scott looking to stick in secondary after brief stay in 2023
Editor’s note: From now until the first practice of training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2024 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with at least two players each day between June 14 and July 25. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.
CB Josiah Scott
Experience/age: Fourth season with 39 games of NFL experience/25
Contract status: $985,000 cap hit if he makes the team
The past: Scott had the proverbial cup of coffee with the Steelers last season, and he returned to the organization in January when he signed a reserve/futures contract.
The Steelers signed Scott to the practice squad last August after he was cut following two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. Two weeks later, Scott was placed on the practice squad injured reserve list.
The Eagles, faced with injuries to their secondary, re-signed Scott in October but released him a month later and kept him on their practice squad. He rejoined the Steelers after the season.
Scott was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. The next season, Scott was traded to Philadelphia, and he appeared in 29 games, making four starts, with the Eagles over the next two seasons.
His best year was in 2022 when Scott had two interceptions, eight pass breakups and 26 tackles — all career highs.
Josiah Scott playoff 2021 pic.twitter.com/Gh3kb0lpt9
— Oliver L Scott (@adidasslick06) January 8, 2024
2024 outlook: Scott spent much of offseason workouts with the Steelers playing slot corner – and with good reason. The Steelers did not bring back Chandon Sullivan, creating an opening in the slot.
Scott also played 333 snaps in the slot with the Eagles in 2022. That experience could come in handy for the 5-foot-9, 185-pound corner from Michigan State.
In training camp and the preseason, Scott will have a chance to show he’s deserving of a longer look in the slot. The Steelers will lose veteran Cameron Sutton to an eight-game suspension, and Sutton was viewed as the front-runner to occupy the slot position when the Steelers brought him back in June on a one-year contract.
Scott also offers special teams experience, which is often a tiebreaker when final roster spots are determined.
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
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