Jacksonville Jaguars safety Ayo Oyelola (35) jogs on the field before an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, August 20, 2022, in Jacksonville, Florida. The Steelers upset the Jaguars, 16-15. (AP Photo/Peter Joneleit).ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed Ayo Oyelola, a former Jacksonville Jaguars safety, to their practice squad. Oyelola will serve as the team’s international exemption on the practice squad, expanding it to a full 17 players. That berth would have most likely gone to Julius Welschof before he had a knee injury, forcing the Steelers to place him on injured reserve and later release him with an injury payout.
Oyelola is from London, United Kingdom, and was introduced to football while studying law at the University of Nottingham. After seeing Saquon Barkley’s highlights, Oyelola fell in love with the sport and wanted to pursue it. Oyelola tried out for several NFL teams to begin his career, but was not signed. So he spent his first season in Canada, playing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League.
After winning the Grey Cup with the Blue Bombers, Oyelola was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars and spent the last two seasons in the team’s International Pathway Program. He appeared in two Jaguars preseason games in 2022 and 2023, playing defence and special teams.
After rostering five safeties, the Steelers only have Oyelola on the practice squad, with Jalen Elliott being the surprise inclusion. Rookie Ryan Watts was placed on season-ending injured reserve after suffering an injury in the team’s last preseason game against the Detroit Lions.
Leave a Reply