Running back Qadree Ollison is happy to be back on an NFL roster. He’s even happier to return to Pittsburgh. Playing his college ball at Pitt from 2014-18, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed him to their practice squad after he was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars during final cutdowns.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Ollison said he was happy to be back in the city.
“For me, Pittsburgh always felt like a second home to me,” Ollison said via The Trib’s Chris Adamski. “I went from high school and became a man here. Coming back here five years later, it’s a full-circle moment. It just feels right.”
Ollison had a strong career with the Panthers, rushing for nearly 3,000 yards from 2015-18. As a senior, he ran for a career-high 1,213 yards and 11 rushing scores, averaging over six yards per carry. That was highlighted by a monster performance against Virginia Tech, running for 235 yards and three scores in a 52-22 victory. He put an exclamation point on his day and the victory with this 97-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter, stiff-arming aside future first-round pick Caleb Farley along the way.
He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2019 draft by the Atlanta Falcons. Since then, he’s sparingly seen time carrying the football with 44 career carries and finding the end zone four times his rookie year as a short-yardage back. Atlanta released him in 2022 and he spent most of the year on the practice squad with a handful of gameday elevations, logging 36 snaps on special teams.
Ollison was then signed to a Reserve/Futures contract by Jacksonville in February, and the Jaguars carried him until last week.
Ollison feels like a fit in Pittsburgh. The feeling’s probably mutual. The Steelers like big power backs like him, checking in at 6005, 228 pounds at his Pitt Pro Day. With size and some special teams value, he’ll be in line to be a roster elevation should something happen to one of the three backs on the Steelers’ 53-man roster in Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, and Anthony McFarland. Joining him on the practice squad is RB Greg Bell, who was signed midway through training camp and impressed enough to stick around.
