The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly signing former Pitt and Atlanta Falcons RB Qadree Ollison to the practice squad, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston.
Ollison has received NFL snaps with the Falcons and the Dallas Cowboys, running for 158 yards on 44 carries. He also has five receptions for 19 yards, coming off the heels of an impressive career at Pitt from 2015-2018 where he ran for 2,859 yards and 29 touchdowns over four seasons. He’s also spent time in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Coming out of Pitt, Ollison ran a 4.58 40-yard dash with a 4.31 20-yard shuttle time. He vertical jumped 29.5 inches, while running the three-cone in 7.53 seconds. His tenure with the Panthers overlapped with Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett, with the two playing together in 2017 and 2018.
At 6-1, 228 pounds, he has the size Pittsburgh likes. Daniel Valente wrote in his draft profile that Ollison could be a three-down back in the league.
“Ollison definitely has the ceiling to be a three down back at the next level as his vision and physicality power his game. He can punish between the tackles while also utilizing a stiff arm to create yardage outside the tackles.”
Ollison’s signing would provide a second running back on the practice squad if the reported signing of RB/FB Zander Horvath proves to be official. If the signings of Carpenter, Horvath and now Ollison become official, the Steelers would have a finalized 16-man practice squad.
