Photo by Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The ex-Patriots and ex-Steelers in the fold for Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium. Familiar faces will cross paths at Acrisure Stadium on Thursday night. Between the active rosters and practice squads of the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers, there are eight players who have been part of both organizations during their NFL tenures. Here’s a glance through the list of former Patriots and former Steelers heading into the 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff. PITTSBURGH Trace McSorley, quarterback — In the fallout of starting quarterback Kenny Pickett undergoing ankle surgery on Monday, the Steelers signed McSorley to the practice squad. The 28-year-old Penn State product had been waived by the Patriots at the 53-man roster deadline in August after appearing in the preseason opener and finale. He landed in New England on a one-year deal in April after previous stops with the Baltimore Ravens and Arizona Cardinals and was most recently with the Chicago Bears. A sixth-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft, McSorley has appeared in nine games in the regular season, rushing for 79 yards while completing 48-of-93 passes for 502 yards with one touchdown and five interceptions. His first career start was logged in 2022. Montravius Adams, defensive tackle — After four campaigns with the Green Bay Packers, the No. 93 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft landed in Foxborough as an unrestricted free agent. The stay would span from March to August for Adams before he was released at the 53-man roster deadline in 2021. The 28-year-old defensive lineman out of Auburn would begin that fall with the New Orleans Saints. He was signed off the practice squad by November, however, and has remained in the AFC North since then. A two-year re-up with the Steelers arrived during the 2022 offseason. Adams’ time in Pittsburgh has brought 30 appearances, including 21 starts, to go with 47 tackles as well as one fumble and two batted passes. He went from questionable to inactive last Sunday due to an ankle injury. Elandon Roberts, linebacker — Selected by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2016 draft, the product of Morgan State and Houston went on to earn Super Bowl LI and LIII rings. Over that span, Roberts totaled 206 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery on defense. He also saw time across the line of scrimmage as a fullback, scoring one touchdown. After serving as a New England captain in 2019, Roberts served as a captain for then-head coach Brian Flores’ Miami Dolphins in 2020. He re-signed for consecutive campaigns on the other side of the AFC East and finished his Dolphins stay with 43 starts. There were 251 tackles, seven sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and an interception returned 85 yards for a touchdown tallied the process. The 29-year-old linebacker reached a two-year deal with the Steelers in March. Roberts stands with 1.5 sacks and a team-high 80 tackles through 11 starts this season. He was ruled out last weekend after suffering a groin injury. Eric Rowe, safety — The Steelers signed Rowe to the practice squad in November after the he turned the calendar to 2023 with the Carolina Panthers. The 31-year-old defensive back entered the league with the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round back in 2015. But by September 2016, he found himself en route to Foxborough in exchange for a conditional draft choice. The former Utah Ute was part of a pair of Super Bowl teams for the Patriots, appearing in 21 games, starting 12 and seeing 847 snaps in the secondary. Rowe departed for Miami Gardens in 2019 and remained with the Dolphins through 2022. His tenure included a move from cornerback to safety and spanned 299 tackles, two sacks, six forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and three interceptions. A pick-six versus the Patriots was among them. Christian Kuntz, long snapper — A linebacker prospect out of Duquesne, Kuntz went undrafted in 2017 and signed with the Patriots late that August. He was waived the following day as the preseason finale reached the rearview. The 29-year-old made subsequent stops with the Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars and the XFL’s Dallas Renegades in his move to long snapper. He is in his second stop with Pittsburgh in that capacity. From the practice squad and a futures contract in 2020 to the active roster in 2021, Kuntz has appeared in 46 games for the Steelers. The specialist has tacked on the initial seven tackles of his NFL career along the way. NEW ENGLAND JuJu Smith-Schuster, wide receiver — Taken No. 62 overall in the 2017 class, Smith-Schuster would go on to start 51 of his 63 games with the organization that drafted him. The USC product amassed 323 catches for 3,855 yards and 23 touchdowns as a Steeler, adding another visit to the end zone as a rookie kickoff returner. Pro Bowl honors came in 2018 as Smith-Schuster set career bests with 111 receptions and 1,426 yards and scored a 97-yard touchdown for the second time in as many campaigns. The 27-year-old went on to win Super Bowl LVII during his lone year with the Kansas City Chiefs before signing a three-year pact with New England in March. Through 10 games and six starts in a Patriots uniform, Smith-Schuster has recorded 25 catches for 170 yards and one TD while playing 52 percent of the offensive snaps. Breon Borders, cornerback — Borders has resided on New England’s practice squad since September. The 28-year-old’s NFL run has been a well-traveled one since going undrafted out of Duke in 2017. He has been a member of double-digit clubs over that span. Count Pittsburgh among them. Borders signed with the Steelers in the spring of 2020 and was waived in the middle of training camp that August before being claimed by the Dolphins. Across 32 games, the veteran corner has registered six starts, seven pass deflections, one interception, one fumble recovery and 42 tackles. His career features 526 downs on defense and 329 downs on special teams. Matthew Wright, kicker — The Patriots added insurance at kicker last week, signing Wright to the practice squad. The 27-year-old signed his first NFL contract with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent out of Central Florida in 2019. He was waived at the end of his preseason audition and stepped into the XFL waters with the then-Tampa Bay Vipers that year before returning to the NFL. Pittsburgh re-signed Wright to the practice squad in the midst of 2020. The three elevations that followed saw him go 4-for-4 on field goals and 7-for-7 on extra points. Wright made his way back for a third stint with the Steelers last season, joining the 53-man roster off the Kansas City practice squad from November into December. A veteran of 23 games, he has converted on 87 percent of his field goals and 94.6 percent of his point-after tries. Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/2023/12/6/23 ... es-week-14
