The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed/promoted TE Rodney Williams from their practice squad to the team’s 53-man roster, filling the open spot left after LB Tyler Matakevich and WR Ben Skowronek were placed on injured reserve over the past 24 hours.
Williams will provide tight end depth, and his promotion to the 53-man roster suggests that TE MyCole Pruitt may miss this week’s game after suffering a knee injury in the Steelers’ Week 2 win over the Denver Broncos.
A former college wide receiver, Williams earned his keep with strong special teams showings last season. Appearing in 13 games, he logged nearly 200 special teams snaps and finished the season with five tackles. Playing sparingly on offense, he didn’t catch a pass on two targets.
Heading into the 2024 training camp, he was battling Pruitt for the fourth tight end spot on the roster. But a shoulder injury cost Williams about a week of practice and Pruitt proved to be the better in-line blocker, giving him the nod as the Steelers put their roster together. Released at final cutdowns, Williams signed with the Steelers’ practice squad.
Our training camp notes on Rodney Williams painted the picture of someone struggling to see reps and opportunity, giving him a C-minus grade.
“A former receiver with plus athleticism, he didn’t see a ton of targets in team periods, in part due to injuries. But he caught all five of his targets for an excellent 77 yards, making plays downfield. He’s a better special teamer and saw more reps there than Pruitt in the preseason but has barely played on offense. I don’t know if he has the H-back versatility Heyward enjoys or the in-line blocking value Pruitt brings. Danny Smith will need to strongly be in his corner to make the 53, which would feel like a mild upset at this point.”
If active for this Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Williams will play on special teams and likely replace Pruitt as the right wing on the punt team. He also could rotate in on offense for a handful of snaps though Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington will see most of the offensive playing time.
