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Friday, June 27, 2008

Steelers cut Davenport

The Steelers have released running back Najeh Davenport after finding no takers in a trade for the seven-year veteran.

Davenport, who rushed for a career-high 499 yards and five touchdowns last season, became expendable when the Steelers selected running back Rashard Mendenhall in the first round of the draft and signed free agent Mewelde Moore from Minnesota.

By releasing Davenport now, the team is giving him a chance to find another job in the league before training camps open in July.

Davenport's release also opens the door for second-year pro Gary Russell to earn a spot on the roster.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tomlin's kids won't be happy!

Dale Lolley said...

Probably not

Anonymous said...

Best of luck to Davenport. This was the best move for the team, though. Let's see what Russell can do.

Neal Coolong said...

Any chance the Steelers are interested in Kevin Jones, Dale?

Dale Lolley said...

No. Ron Hughes, the scout who attended his workout, lives in the Detroit area and likely just went to cover his bases. I see nothing to that at all.

Anonymous said...

The handwriting was on the wall for Davenport when they drafted Mendenhall. I was a bit surprised that it happened so soon, but after thinking about it it gave him a chance to pick up with another team before training camps opened. Classy move by the Steelers front office.