Dean Lowry has missed considerable time ahead of his first Steelers season, but he will now be cleared to practice. The veteran defensive lineman was activated from the active/PUP list on Sunday, per a team announcement.
Lowry began his career with the Packers, spending six seasons with the team. After serving in a rotational role during his rookie season, the former fourth-rounder developed into a starter and consistent producer along the defensive interior. He recorded between 32 and 47 tackles each season between 2017 and 2022, totaling 13.5 sacks during that span.
Last offseason, Lowy signed a two-year, $8.5M deal with the Vikings. His intra-divisional move was short-lived, however. The 30-year-old suffered a pectoral injury which limited him to nine games, and for the second straight season, he finished the year on IR. To little surprise, the missed time led to Lowry being let go in March.
Not long after his release, though, the Northwestern alum signed with the Steelers. Lowry landed another two-year pact, this time worth $5M (albeit with only $1.25M in guarantees). He spent the past several months rehabbing the injury, but Sunday’s move means he will now be able to practice. With two preseason games remaining, he could also see limited action in Pittsburgh’s exhibition schedule.
The Steelers have veterans Cameron Heyward,
Larry Ogunjobi and Montravius Adams in the fold along the defensive interior. That trio is joined by 2023 second-rounder Keeanu Benton and seventh-round rookie Logan Lee as roster cuts loom. Now healthy, Lowry will spend the coming weeks aiming to carve out a role as part of the unit.
