TE Rodney Williams exited Saturday’s practice at Saint Vincent College after diving for a catch and landing awkwardly on his shoulder. Mike Tomlin described his injury as an AC sprain and did not give a timetable for his return. It seemed like he might be out a little longer because the Pittsburgh Steelers turned around and added TE Matt Sokol to the roster ahead of Tuesday’s practice. But when the Steelers came out for practice on Wednesday, Williams was suited up and making his return, per Alex Kozora on X.
Williams is firmly on the roster bubble, so it is very important for his future with the Steelers that he returned as soon as possible. They typically only carry three tight ends on the initial 53-man roster, but Arthur Smith has kept four in each of the last two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. It would make sense for the Steelers to follow suit and carry a fourth TE given the position’s importance in Smith’s offense.
Darnell Washington, Pat Freiermuth and Connor Heyward’s jobs should be pretty safe, so that leaves one spot remaining for either Williams or MyCole Pruitt. Pruitt has an edge because of his familiarity with Smith over the years, but he is also 32 years old compared to Williams at 26 years old. Any fourth-string player is going to need to contribute on special teams, and Williams is probably better suited for that role at his age.
The fact that he is returning after missing just two practices is huge for his chances of winning the competition and sticking on the roster. Smith’s offense uses a lot of 12 and 13 personnel with two or three tight ends on the field at a time. Whoever earns the TE4 job will likely see at least some offensive snaps throughout the 2024 season, and maybe more if an injury is suffered ahead of them on the depth chart.
Tim Rice, our photographer on-site at Saint Vincent College, snapped another photo of him and noted he is participating in everything but sled blocking drills.
