The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing defensive lineman Brodric Martin off the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad and to their 53-man roster, according to NFL insider Aaron Wilson.
The move will give Pittsburgh a 53rd player on its Active/Inactive roster after sitting at 52 for the last several weeks.
Martin will provide defensive line depth after the Steelers lost backup NT Daniel Ekuale to an ACL tear late last month. A third-round pick in 2023, Martin struggled to find his footing with the Detroit Lions. He lasted two seasons with them, appeared in just five games, and made four tackles. He also spent part of the 2024 season on injured reserve. Waived by the Lions in August, he signed with the Chiefs’ practice squad days later.
In his NFL career, he’s logged just 53 defensive snaps.
Our 2023 scouting report noted Martin’s rare size and presence in the middle. At his Pro Day, which DL Coach Karl Dunbar attended, he checked in at 6046, 330 pounds with long 35-inch arms. Our report highlighted his strong upper body and energetic pass rush but also made note of him stalling out as a rusher and pad level that was too tall. We concluded:
“Overall, Martin is an easy player to like, and his tape was pretty fun. He can stuff the run but he’s not a one-note guy. There’s some energy and pass rush juice, even if he’s gotta work on using his hands and developing his moves. He won’t be heavily used in sub-packages but can rush out of base, sorta similar to Montravius Adams. Martin is a 0/shade in a 3-4 or 4-3 system that does more two-gapping than one-gapping and want run defense first. There aren’t many guys of Martin’s body type to compare to in the modern NFL, but I’ll land on Jordan Phillips with a ceiling of a Michael Brockers type.”
Martin began his college career at Northern Alabama before transferring to Western Kentucky. With the Hilltoppers, he recorded 62 tackles (six for a loss) with four sacks and three pass deflections. At his Pro Day, he ran a 5.36 40-yard dash.
Because he was signed from another team’s practice squad, NFL rules require Martin to effectively remain on the Steelers’ roster for the next three weeks. While Pittsburgh is technically allowed to release him over that span, the team would not be allowed to fill his spot on the 53-man roster until those three weeks have passed. Now a Steeler, Martin will try to get a helmet and dress on gameday.