While the top three running backs on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster were already locked in before the team even arrived at training camp, the group behind Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson was a hodgepodge of names battling and fighting for a spot. After practice, Jonathan Ward appears to be in line to be the fourth running back. That probably won’t lead to a spot on the 53-man roster, but it should mean a spot on the practice squad and a chance to be promoted at any time.
In his training camp recap Friday morning on 93.7 The Fan, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praised Ward’s strong summer.
“For me, Jonathan Ward, and unfortunately he’s a little banged up right now,” Fittipaldo said of his top camp pick. “I don’t know if we’ll see him against the Bills. He’s an older guy, I didn’t really know much about him before he came to camp, but he’s there every day. He makes good plays as a running back in the run game. He’s really good on special teams.”
With some NFL experience under his belt, Ward signed with the Steelers after entering the rookie minicamp as a veteran. When the team arrived at Latrobe, he was on par with fellow veteran La’Mical Perine and juniors Aaron Shampklin and Daijun Edwards. Ward stood out for his versatile skill set and surprising speed. He managed an 80-yard touchdown run during a live tackling session at practice and showed creativity and energy to get the edge in last Friday’s season opener against the Houston Texans.
“I think this guy is going to be on the team either way, whether he’s on the 53-man roster or the practice squad,” Fittipaldo said. “You could use him on special teams if needed. You always need guys like that … He was the third-best running back in camp in my opinion, behind Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris.”
With his Sunday experience and his versatility and value on special teams, Ward should remain on the practice squad. The biggest obstacle, as Fittipaldo suggests, is injury. Ward suffered a hamstring injury during the last practice of training camp, limping after making a nice hand catch on a throw from Russell Wilson. It’s unclear, but it looks like he didn’t practice yesterday, and his status for this weekend is questionable, if not doubtful.
But if Ward makes it to the season finale against the Detroit Lions and puts in another solid performance, he should earn a spot on the practice squad, something we hinted at over a week ago and a prospect that hasn’t changed. The team will also likely keep a second running back on the practice squad, and Shampklin appears to be superior to Perine and Edwards.
