Steelers’ release of linebacker Jamir Jones came 1 day after domestic violence charge
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When the Pittsburgh Steelers made an already-thin position even more thin last month, eyebrows were raised. The reason for the release of outside linebacker Jamir Jones has become apparent.
According to court records, Jones was arrested in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on a domestic violence-related charge April 11.
On April 12, the Steelers announced his release, without explanation.
The charge against Jones is for battery, a misdemeanor, and according to court records Jones on April 14 entered a plea of not guilty. Documents list the case type as “domestic violence.”
As the Steelers entered last week’s NFL Draft, Jones was their No. 3 outside linebacker behind star starters T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. Jones appeared in all 17 of the Steelers’ games last season, recording 10 tackles over 86 defensive snaps and 251 snaps played on special teams. Only three Steelers played more on special teams than Jones, who’d made the Steelers out of the 2021 training camp but ended up playing for three teams that season, ultimately earning a Super Bowl ring because of a 10-game tenure with the Los Angeles Rams.
But Jones was back in 2022, and he mostly served as a No. 4 OLB behind Watt, Highsmith and Malik Reed. Reed has departed.
Until the Steelers drafted Nick Herbig in the fourth round and signed David Perales as an undrafted free agent, the release of Jones left Quincy Roche — signed to a reserve/future deal Jan. 24 — as No. 3 on the Steelers’ unofficial outside linebacker depth chart.
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