Pittsburgh Steelers have filled out their practice squad by re-signing center Ryan McCollum, the team announced today.
With RB Greg Bell being released in addition to CB Luq Barcoo and the Steelers only signing WR Jacob Copeland, there was an open spot on the practice squad. The team worked out nine players yesterday, but clearly none of them outside of Copeland impressed enough for a spot on the roster at the moment.
McCollum spent most of last season on Pittsburgh’s practice squad and worked as an interior offensive lineman throughout training camp and the preseason. He adds depth behind Mason Cole and Nate Herbig up front.
During the preseason, McCollum posted just a 53.5 PFF grade in 106 snaps, 43 of which came at center. He has NFL experience with the Detroit Lions, with the former Texas A&M Aggie playing 101 offensive snaps and 47 special teams snaps for Detroit back in 2021.
Depth-wise, the center spot is an area of concern for Pittsburgh, with Herbig not having a lot of experience at the position yet serving as the main backup to Cole. McCollum is a bit of a known commodity in Pittsburgh, and while he hasn’t been super impressive, it’s clear the team sees enough in him to continue giving him an opportunity.
The practice squad is now at the 16-player limit. It was a little bit surprising the Steelers didn’t fill their last spot with an offensive tackle or defensive lineman with injuries to DL Cameron Heyward and OT Chukwuma Okorafor, but it was also surprising when the initial 16 didn’t include a legitimate option at center.
I’m sure this isn’t the last bit of practice squad shuffling we’ll see from the Steelers, and it’ll be interesting to see if McCollum can continue to stick around.
