With the first day of rookie minicamp practices underway, all of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ draft picks, tryout players, and undrafted free agents are on the field competing together for the first time. According to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor on X, former Steelers LB Ryan Shazier is on the field helping out with some of the drills.
In this video, he is specifically assisting RB coach Eddie Faulkner with some running back drills, throwing bags at players that they must step or leap over as they get into the second level. The video above shows him throwing the bag at tryout RB Jonathan Ward.
Shazier was on the Steelers’ roster from 2014 to 2019 before retiring due to a catastrophic spinal cord injury suffered in 2017 in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He still stuck around the team for some time after that as he worked his way back from the career-ending injury and was often spotted on the sidelines during games.
He ended his playing career with 299 total tackles, 202 solo tackles, 24 tackles for loss, seven sacks, seven forced fumbles, and seven interceptions. With two Pro Bowl selections, he was well on his way to being the next big thing at ILB for the Steelers prior to the injury. For the first time since that injury, the Steelers appear to have the ILB room figured out with the additions of Patrick Queen in free agency and Payton Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Since his exit from the league, Shazier went on to graduate from Ohio State University in 2020 and partnered with a cannabis company as he sought alternative therapies to opioid pain medication throughout his recovery.
He hasn’t been around the team much over the last few years, but perhaps Ryan Shazier will be a more frequent alum appearance moving forward with the team.
