The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing RB/FB Zander Horvath, presumably their practice squad, per Pete Byrne of WSBT in Indiana. While Byrne didn’t specify, it seems unlikely that Horvath would end up on the 53-man roster.
Horvath had two touchdowns last season with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he played fullback. Both touchdowns came in the first two weeks of the season, and he caught the team’s first receiving touchdown of the year. He caught five balls for eight yards and ran four times for eight yards, picking up two first downs.
He played his college ball at Purdue, running 268 times for 1181 yards (4.4 YPC) and eight touchdowns. He also contributed 68 receptions for 592 yards (8.7 YPR) with one touchdown.
He ran a 4.61 40-yard dash at his Pro Day, while measuring at 6021 and 228 pounds. He has 32” arms and ran a 4.25 short shuttle and 6.75 three-cone. He had a 35-inch vertical leap and put up 31 reps on the bench press.
In his draft profile of Horvath, Alex Kozora wrote that Horvath is a throwback player.
“On tape, he’s a good athlete and can be a serious asset in the passing game. He won’t run an advanced route tree but is a dependable player to throw to after the catch. Horvath is a cross between Dan Vitale and Peyton Hillis and probably falls somewhere in-between. I don’t see enough value to draft him but he’s an interesting UDFA.”
The Los Angeles Chargers did draft him, taking him in the seventh round in 2022. He was waived by Los Angeles ahead of roster cuts this season, and now seemingly will find himself in Pittsburgh. He’s an interesting add as the Steelers lack a true fullback, and he had some nice success early with the Chargers last season. The Steelers have done a good job compiling guys with solid NFL experience and success, including former Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Josiah Scott.
We’ll see if Horvath does eventually end up with the Steelers, but if he does, it’s another good move by the front office and general manager Omar Khan.
