Steelers Sign Plaxico Burress and Brian Hoyer

The Pittsburgh Steelers needed to make some roster moves before their AFC North battle with the Cleveland Browns on Sunday and did so by signing former Steelers’ wide receiver Plaxico Burress and former New England Patriots’ backup quarterback Brian Hoyer.

August 29, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer (8) drops back to pass during the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-US PRESSWIRE

With injuries to both Antonio Brown (ankle) and Jerricho Cotchery (ribs), depth was needed at receiver and Burress was the logical choice. He’s coming off a solid 2011 season with the New York Jets in which he caught 45 passes, eight of which were touchdowns.

Burress has lost some speed since his first stint with the Steelers, but is still a weapon in the red zone.

They also worked out former Penn State receiver Derrick Williams, but head coach Mike Tomlin, offensive coordinator Todd Haley, and general manager Kevin Colbert decided that Burress was the way to go.

But the Steelers weren’t done there.

With the quarterback situation in dire straits, with only 37-year old Charlie Batch healthy, the Steelers also needed to add a signal-caller, settling on Hoyer.

The former Michigan State quarterback spent three years as a backup in New England, completing 27-of-43 pass attempts for 286 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He was released after losing a training camp battle to Ryan Mallett in the preseason.

The Steelers also gave former Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Mike Kafka a tryout, but settled on Hoyer.

Both players will be active this week against the Browns.