A pair of from Pittsburgh Steelers have latched onto the UFL as the league preps for its spring season later this year. Per the league’s transaction sheet, RB Kalen Ballage and LB Tae Crowder have signed with the Arlington Renegades and Birmingham Stallions, respectively.
Both players were only briefly Steelers, and you’d be forgiven if you forgot that fact. Ballage spent more time in Pittsburgh, a free agent signing ahead of the 2021 season. While he appeared in all 17 games, his playing time was sparse. Ballage logged just 65 offensive snaps and 12 carries while seeing deep-reserve duty behind workhorse rookie Najee Harris. He wasn’t efficient either, averaging just 3.0 YPC and a 41.7 percent run success rate. He saw more time on special teams with nearly 100 snaps, recording one tackle.
Pittsburgh remains Ballage’s last NFL regular season appearance. Despite a 2022 workout with the Indianapolis Colts, Ballage hasn’t even signed with an NFL team. He spent the season with the San Antonio Brahamas, carrying the ball 55 times for 149-yards, a miserable 2.7 YPC average. He failed to make the team in 2024.
Turning 30 in December, he’s running out of opportunities. But if he can find traction with the Renegades, he could re-open the NFL door later this summer.
Crowder had a true cup of coffee with Pittsburgh and failed to ever appear in a regular season game with the team. The Steelers signed him in late 2022 after injuries hit the team, including one to Marcus Allen. Though on the 53-man roster, he didn’t dress for a game and was released the following May as the Steelers added rookie LB Toby Ndukwe to its offseason roster.
Crowder briefly spent time with the Colts and Tennessee Titans in 2023 but didn’t sign anywhere in 2024. Turning 28 in March, he was “Mr. Irrelevant” as the final pick of the 2020 draft, No. 255 overall by the New York Giants. He made 31 starts for the Giants from 2020-2022 and will try to stick this spring to open up a chance come the summer.
The UFL regular season kicks off March 28.
