Steelers pick up former Patriots captain Ja’Whaun Bentley

New England Patriots

After signing Jabrill Peppers earlier this month, the Steelers are bringing Bentley on board.

Ja’Whaun Bentley, who spent the first seven years of his career with the Patriots, has signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad, according to ESPN.

The 29-year-old linebacker was released by New England in March. He played just two games last year before suffering a torn pectoral muscle that ended his season.

“I went down early last year, second drive of Week 2. If anything, you just think about all the hard work you did getting up to that point, so when you hit that, it’s kind of like a damn kind of thing. But at the end of the day, work is nothing new to me,” Bentley said Wednesday. “I was looking to put one day in front of the other and obviously got a fresh start here. So excited to do that. Excited to meet all the guys, meet all the coaches, and just have some fun with this thing.”

Bentley had been New England’s leading tackler the previous three seasons, notching 109 in 2021, 125 in 2022, and 114 in 2023. He’ll join former Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers in Pittsburgh, whom the Steelers added earlier this month.

Peppers did not play in the Steelers’ loss to the Seahawks last week. It’s not clear how much he or Bentley will play against the Patriots.

However, the Steelers’ run defense has been in need of a boost. Pittsburgh is giving up 149.5 rushing yards per game, which is the fifth-worst mark in the league through three weeeks.

Rhamondre Stevenson had a breakout performance for the Patriots last week, and the shifty Antonio Gibson who has shown his playmaking ability on special teams saw an increase in carries last week. The Patriots also can mix in speedy rookie TreVeyon Henderson to switch up the pace.

Both Peppers and Bentley were team captains with the Patriots last season under Jerod Mayo.

Now, they’re on the other side of the Patriots’ Week 3 matchup looking to bolster Pittsburgh’s defense.

Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.