The Pittsburgh Steelers have announced their first wave of practice squad signings, adding eight players to the 16-man taxi squad. Per the Steelers, they have signed:
RB: Jonathan Ward
FB: Jack Colletto
TE: Rodney Williams
DL: Jacob Slade
OLB: Marcus Haynes
CB: Anthony Averett, Thomas Graham Jr., Zyon Gilbert
All eight players spent parts of all of the summer with the team.
Ward shined out of the Steelers’ backfield during training camp and his lone preseason appearance. A well-rounded back with special teams value and speed, he suffered a hamstring injury on the final day of training camp and missed the next two preseason games, though he dressed for the finale against the Detroit Lions. He rushed six times for 26 yards in the preseason opener against the Houston Texans.
Colletto was the team’s sole true training camp fullback. While he saw plenty of reps in Arthur Smith’s heavy-personnel offense, he didn’t stand out enough as a lead blocker or special teamer to make the 53.
Williams battled veteran TE MyCole Pruitt for a spot on the 53-man roster. But an early camp shoulder injury along with Pruitt’s steady blocking caused him to lose out and settle for the practice squad.
Slade spent the offseason with the team, primarily playing defensive end. He kicked inside to nose tackle in the finale with rookie Logan Lee held out. Haynes was a late add and will give the team depth at outside linebacker, playing in the Steelers’ finale against the Detroit Lions.
Averett was released ahead of the final preseason game but still managed to return to the practice squad, a veteran with gameday experience. He’s appeared in 51 NFL games, making 27 starts. Graham was our camp darling but lost out to CBs Beanie Bishop Jr. and Darius Rush for one of the final cornerback spots, a lack of special teams value hurting him. Gilbert was signed late but is a good athlete.
The Steelers will round out the rest of their practice squad over the next few days, off this weekend and not practicing until Monday. The team’s reported outside signings, including WR Brandon Johnson and RB Boston Scott, haven’t been officially announced.
