The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed RB Jonathan Ward to their 53-man roster, according to NFL insider Aaron Wilson.
With all three of Ward’s elevations used up, it appears Ward is being signed to the team’s 53-man roster. That will require a corresponding move and it’s possible the team releases RB Aaron Shampklin to make room. Last week, Ward was elevated from the practice squad and active over Shampklin, who did not dress.
Pittsburgh will announce their final roster moves by the 4 PM/EST deadline. In addition to Ward, it’s possible the team elevates WR Brandon Johnson as wide receiver depth with rookie WR Roman Wilson out with a hamstring injury and RB/KR/WR Cordarrelle Patterson missing another game due to an ankle injury.
With Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren healthy, Ward has primarily played on special teams this year, utilized on kick returns and the right wing on punts. To date, he’s logged 40 special teams snaps and make one tackle, a strong kick coverage stop in last week’s win over the New York Jets.
Ward’s also played sparingly on offense, registering five carries for 22 yards on nine offensive snaps.
A veteran, Ward was initially signed this spring after trying out with the Steelers during rookie minicamp. He had a solid summer but a late leg injury hampered the end, though he still captured a practice squad spot. He earned our top training camp grade of any running back, as we wrote about in August.
“Ward enjoyed a strong camp that hopefully didn’t end on a sour note. Crammed at the back of the pecking order with three others, La’Mical Perine, Aaron Shampklin, and Daijun Edwards, Ward separated himself from the group. With no official 40-yard dash time on him due to the pandemic, I didn’t know how fast Ward was. The answer? Pretty darn fast. He had one of the plays in training camp, busting off an 80-yard touchdown run right side in a live-tackling drill, outrunning two defensive backs to the end zone. Ward carried that big-play ability over to preseason action, taking a Lead run seemingly doomed and bouncing it wide, creating on his own to gain the edge and rip off a 20-yard rush.”
Pittsburgh and New York kickoff tonight at 8:20 PM/EST.
