When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed fullback Roosevelt Nix to a Reserve/Future contract in January, I doubt you could find many people who would have predicted he’d ultimately make the team’s 53 man roster. Not only did the Kent State product manage to do that, he’s become quite the contributor on a weekly basis on both offense and special teams.
In Sunday’s win over the Oakland Raiders, Nix, who was a defensive lineman in college, played a season-high 29 snaps at fullback on offense. After the game, head coach Mike Tomlin was asked about Nix’s extended playing time.
“We used him more today maybe than we had last week, but some of these things are circumstantial,” said Tomlin. “He’s a viable option for us. He’s done a good job on offense and in special teams, but I wouldn’t read too much into it.”
Nix, as usual, delivered some key blocks on Sunday and that led to running back DeAngelo Williams rushing for 170 yards and two touchdowns.
“Me and DeAngelo have a good relationship,” Nix said after the game. “We have a lot of plays. I just do my job. If he breaks, he breaks.”
Nix not only did his job in the Steelers offense, he also showed on Sunday why he continues to be a top-notch special teams player.
Early in the fourth quarter, Nix forced Raiders kick returner Taiwan Jones to fumble when he put his helmet right on the forearm carrying the football. The Steelers recovered the loose ball and two plays later were back in the end zone.
“It kind of just happened,” Nix said of the play after the game. “When you’re in the game, you don’t really think about perfect situations. You just have to adapt and make things happen. I was fortunate enough to make something like that happen for my teammates.”
Nix leads the Steelers in total tackles on special teams with 8. He is quite a find and likely to be around for a few years to come. You can follow Nix on Twitter at @Dat_Dude_Nix.
