PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed safety Ayo Oyelola to their practice squad, KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson reports.
Oyelola worked out with the Steelers last Thursday and will join a fellow participant in edge rusher Adekunbo Ogundeji as the two players the team signed from that session.
Oyelola is a member of the International Player Pathway program and was assigned to the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, meaning the team was awarded an exemption that allowed them to keep him via an extra spot on the practice squad once he cleared waivers at final roster cuts.
The Steelers can apply for that same exemption after signing Oyelola, though it’s unclear if it will be enforced because he was not assigned to them and instead chose to sign with the team.
Pittsburgh had its practice squad filled with 16 players, so it would need to open up a spot once Oyelola officially signs, assuming an exemption will not apply in this situation.
Up until this season, using that exemption meant that an organization could not elevate an IPP player to the active roster on gameday. Thus, as a result, Oyelola never appeared in a regular season contest throughout his tenure in Jacksonville.
Starting this year, however, teams can promote one of those players up to three times a season before they are required to sign them to their active roster.
Oyelola is a native of England who attended the University of Nottingham and played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League, appearing in one game during the 2021 campaign.
Standing at 5-foot-11 and 213 pounds, he played a combined 43 snaps on defense and 20 on special teams with the Jaguars over the 2022 and 2023 preseasons.
Oyelola was waived by Jacksonville in April and remained a free agent until joining the Steelers.