Veteran tight end Rodney Williams, who finds himself in a tight battle for one of the final roster spots for the Pittsburgh Steelers this summer at the position, left practice early Saturday afternoon at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe with an apparent shoulder injury.
According to Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora, Williams went down hard in a 7-on-7 drill and was in a lot of pain. Though Williams was able to jog off on his own, he was looked at by trainers and appears to be done for the day.
Kozora noted that Williams was injured on a diving grab attempt in 7-on-7 with veteran cornerback Cameron Sutton in coverage for the Steelers.
Steelers Depot’s Tim Rice is at training camp as well and took a photo of Williams exiting practice to head to the locker room, seemingly ending his day on Day 3 of training camp.
A graduate of UT-Martin, Williams signed with the Denver Broncos coming out of college in 2022 as a college free agent. Williams then landed with the Steelers in September 2022 and stuck around, earning a Future contract that offseason. Eventually, Williams worked his way into a 53-man roster spot and had an impact on special teams, nearly recording a punt block for a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5 last season.
Last summer while making a push for the 53-man roster spot, Williams was arguably one of the Steelers’ best special teams players. Ultimately, he was cut and re-signed to the practice squad. But then he continued to work hard and be prepared for his opportunity. That came once Pat Freiermuth injured his hamstring last season.
Rice got a good shot of Williams down to the ground before getting up and jogging to the sidelines.
Williams played 55 snaps offensively last season, serving primarily as a fourth tight end in the run game. He played a season-high 12 snaps in Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
On special teams, Williams played 189 snaps, serving as a solid piece for coordinator Danny Smith after getting his opportunity.
Hopefully it’s not a serious injury for Williams as we await word from head coach Mike Tomlin on his status following Saturday’s practice.
