There is one bit of news worth noting today from the Pittsburgh Steelers Tuesday afternoon practice and that is that tight end Jamie McCoy is working with the running backs today according to Ken Laird on Twitter.
Due to the season ending injury suffered by starting fullback David Johnson this past Thursday in the first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Steelers are in need of a player to serve as the backup now to fullback Will Johnson. McCoy, who was in camp last year with the Steelers, and who also spent time on their practice squad, certainly appears to be the next man up.
While the Steelers did sign tight end/fullback Justin Peelle and running back/fullback Jason Ford over the course of the last 24 hours to replace the injured Johnson and running back John Clay, both are only expected to be bodies this late in training camp and help push those ahead of them on the roster.
The Steelers are starting to get a few running back bodies back practicing again as starter Isaac Redman, who sat out the Saturday and Sunday practices due to a minor groin injury, is reportedly back working today. Jonathan Dwyer, who is still recovering from a shoulder sprain that he suffered in the game Thursday night, is also back working on Tuesday, albeit in a limited capacity.
McCoy did not see any snaps at fullback in the game against the Eagles Thursday night, but that figures to change this coming Sunday night in the Steelers second preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts. McCoy did show up on the game tape from this past Thursday, but it was in a negative light as he was flagged twice on specials teams for illegal blocks in the back. He will certainly need to clean that portion of his game up moving forward along with now showing that he can handle the backup fullback duties.
