Arthur Smith likes himself a fullback, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have one in Jack Colletto. Now, just because they have one doesn’t mean Mike Tomlin and company will carry him on the 53-man roster. A fullback in this day and age has to carry his weight on special teams first and foremost to even stand a chance, unless he is a special circumstance.
Jack Colletto is no special circumstance, but he isn’t trying to be. While he did play quarterback, and even linebacker, he won’t need those skill sets in Arthur Smith’s offense. He can use his linebacker background for Danny Smith on special teams, but that’s about it.
“I give Jack a lot of credit because we’ve challenged him, and he’s been very physical out here and he’s a smart football player, and the big picture will have to develop”, Arthur Smith said, via transcript provided by the Steelers media relations department.
In truth, media members have hinted at this for a while, presumably based on OTAs and interviews. Ray Fittipaldo talked in June, for example, about how Colletto could be a(n apparent} surprise in training camp.
But a fullback in Arthur Smith’s offense is hardly a surprise, and Jack Colletto is the only true fullback on the roster. While Connor Heyward can play that role in a pinch, Colletto offers something a little more traditional, perhaps more reliable. RB Jaylen Warren recently praised him as Smith did for his physicality and willingness to “do the dirty work”.
But there’s no secret here to his path to a roster spot, and I’ve already mentioned it. It doesn’t really matter how much Arthur Smith likes Colletto if special teams coordinator Danny Smith doesn’t. Any fullback will be one of the last five-ish players on the roster, and they need to play special teams.
“The easiest way to get on the roster, whether you’re a backup tight end, wide receiver, or running back or a fullback, is to do really well for Danny”, Arthur Smith said, commenting on Colletto. “Then you get a helmet every week and then we can use those guys. So, it’s a lot of collaboration and that’s what we’re working through right now”.
Although he did not record a tackle, Colletto did play 11 snaps on special teams in the Steelers’ preseason opener, mostly on coverage units. He played just seven snaps on offense, all of them in a blocking capacity, six of them on run downs. Admittedly, he looked like he still has work to do on Friday, but his focus needs to be special teams.
One of the obstacles Colletto will run into, thanks to Smith, is tight end numbers. As much as Smith loves fullbacks, he loves tight ends more, and he will probably want to carry four. Collettto’s best shot is proving he can do more than MyCole Pruitt. Pruitt has bounced on and off Smith’s practice squads and rosters for years.
