UPDATE: The move is now official, with the team announcing that RB John Lovett waived to make room for Valladay on the 90-man roster.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are making another move at running back, adding Xazavian Valladay. Valladay was officially waived by the Houston Texans a few days ago, but quickly found a new home with Pittsburgh. Mike Garafolo reported that Valladay’s agent passed along the news.
Valladay was one of the standouts at the 2023 Shrine Bowl, and the Arizona State product has great burst, with a 4.46 40 and a 40-inch broad jump. While he didn’t receive a Combine invite, he was a productive runner at both Wyoming and Arizona State. Given his $175,000 in guarantees from Houston, he was clearly a sought-after undrafted free agent.
He rushed for over 1,000 yards three times, running for 1,265 yards as a sophomore at Wyoming and then 1,063 as a redshirt junior there. After transferring to Arizona State, Valladay ran for 1,192 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. He was also explosive, with 41 runs of 20-plus yards on 841 total carries in his college career. He finished with 4,466 total yards on the ground over five collegiate seasons.
He ran the ball four times for eight yards in his preseason debut with the Texans, a win over the New England Patriots.
At 6-feet and 198 pounds, Valladay has good size for the position. During the Shrine Bowl, he ran 13 times for 76 yards and also caught a pass for four yards for the West team. He was also someone that stood out during practices, showing impressive burst and ability to reach the second level.
Adding Valladay likely means the end of John Lovett’s tenure with the Steelers. Lovett has yet to practice in nearly two weeks, and with Pittsburgh’s roster being at the full 90, a corresponding move has to follow. Lovett would make the most sense. Valladay is wearing No. 33 with the Steelers, meaning Lovett’s time is likely over.
Valladay is an interesting add at this point in the process, and he’ll look to compete for the No. 3 running back job that Anthony McFarland Jr. looks to have a leg up on right now.
For more on Valladay, check out Josh Carney’s draft profile on the running back.
