5 Bruce Gradkowski QB

Gradkowski was released from the Steelers' injured reserve on Friday, ESPN's Adam Caplan reports.

The 33-year-old suffered a torn hamstring in the preseason and landed on IR before the season started. Landry Jones and Zach Mettenberger remain to back up starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

The Steelers have placed Gradkowski (hamstring) on IR.

With Gradkowski headed for IR with his hamstring injury, the Steelers claimed Zach Mettenberger off waivers to give the team added QB depth behind Ben Roethlisberger and Landry Jones.

Gradkowski, who is dealing with a left hamstring injury, is going to be out for "a number of weeks," per coach Mike Tomlin, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The veteran QB could miss the rest of the preseason. In Gradkowski's absence, Dustin Vaughan figures to see added practice reps behind Ben Roethlisberger and Landry Jones.

Gradkowski suffered a torn hamstring during the Steelers' opening preseason game last Friday, ESPN.com reports.

Gradkowski missed all of last season due to shoulder and hand injuries, so his hamstring problem only adds to his health issues. With Landry Jones cemented as the Steelers' No. 2 quarterback, Pittsburgh is fine behind Ben Roethlisberger, but Gradkowski's injury may open up their third-string job.

Gradkowski left Friday's preseason game against the Lions with a left hamstring injury, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Gradkowski suffered the injury on a scramble, but the severity of the injury is not yet known. This could mean even more injury trouble for the quarterback who missed all of last season after having surgery on his finger. He was re-signed this offseason to compete with Landry Jones for the backup quarterback spot behind Ben Roethlisberger.

Gradkowski will likely see action in Friday's preseason opener since, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Ben Roethlisberger is expected to sit out against the Lions.

With Roethlisberger joining several key offensive players including Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, and DeAngelo Williams on the sidelines, Gradkowski will have an opportunity to show why he deserves the backup quarterback spot over Landry Jones and Dustin Vaughan, despite missing all of last season.

Gradkowski is re-signing with the Steelers to compete against Landry Jones for the backup job, Alex Marvez of FOX Sports reports.

Gradkowski and Jones went through the same thing last year, but the competition ended early when the former needed surgery on his non-throwing hand at the end of the preseason. Jones and Mike Vick both ended up making starts during Ben Roethlisberger's four-game absence, with Jones at least managing to hold his own. It thus seems Gradkowski will enter the competition as an underdog, though he should be back to full health.

Gradkowski, who is an unrestricted free agent, dislocated a finger on his non-throwing hand during a pre-season game that required season-ending.

Gradkowski has played for five different teams in his career, and the signing of Michael Vick, as well as the emergence of Landry Jones as a viable back-up to the oft-injured Ben Roethlisberger, suggests Gradkowski could be backing-up a quarterback for a sixth NFL team in 2016.

The Steelers signed quarterback Michael Vick and placed Bruce Gradkowski on the injured reserve list on Tuesday, the team announced.

Pittsburgh was in need of a backup quarterback after Gradkowski dislocated a finger in his left hand, requiring surgery.

Vick played in 10 games for the Jets last season. He passed for 604 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Former Falcons, Eagles and Jets quarterback Michael Vick is headed to Pittsburgh to meet with the Steelers, a league source told ESPN. 

The Steelers have developed a need for quarterback depth since Bruce Gradkowski dislocated a finger on his left hand and is having surgery Tuesday, a source told ESPN.

Steelers quarterback Bruce Gradkowski has been activated from the team's Physically Unable to Perform list, the team announced Sunday.

Gradkowski had been sidelined due to a sore shoulder, but he was able to practice Sunday.

Steelers backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski has been dealing with a sore shoulder for most of the last two months and is not ready for training camp.

"A couple weeks ... I'm not sure," he told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review about a timetable for his return. "It's nothing serious. I am thankful that we have a long training camp and we have plenty of time."

Gradkowski will almost certainly be out when his team plays in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 9.

The Steelers have signed quarterback Bruce Gradkowski to a three-year deal. The Pittsburgh native, who once led the Raiders to an improbable win at Heinz Field, will back up Big Ben.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Bengals will likely look to re-sign free agent backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski. He is the No. 2 quarterback for the Bengals behind Andy Dalton.