Steelers Elevate Running Back For Week 3 Game Against Patriots

The Pittsburgh Steelers will aim to spark their rushing attack when facing the New England Patriots in Week 3. A new face could help that effort on Sunday.

Pittsburgh elevated Trey Sermon from the practice squad on Saturday. The running back joins the active roster in place of guard Max Scharping, who went on the reserve/injured list due to a knee injury.

The Steelers signed Sermon after a rookie minicamp tryout in May. While the former third-round pick didn’t make the team, he joined their practice squad the day after getting released in late August.

Despite their sizable draft investment, the San Francisco 49ers rostered Sermon for one year before trading him to the Philadelphia Eagles. He turned 44 touches into 193 yards and a touchdown as a rookie before receiving just two handoffs for the Eagles in 2022.

Sermon spent the last two seasons as a depth option for the Indianapolis Colts, landing his biggest workload against the Steelers late in the 2023 season. With Jonathan Taylor sidelined, Sermon turned 17 carries into 88 yards during a 30-13 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The 26-year-old averaged 2.8 yards per carry last season, dragging down his career rate to a modest 3.8. Sermon scored two touchdowns early in the 2024 campaign but only garnered 11 carries in his final 10 games.

Sermon joins a Steelers offense that’s mustered the NFL’s third-fewest rushing yards (125) through three weeks. Mike Tomlin has utilized a featured back more aggressively than many modern coaches, but Jaylen Warren has shared reps with veteran Kenneth Gainwell.

Sermon’s elevation could be a bad sign for Kaleb Johnson. The rookie made a significant special teams miscue in last weekend’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks, but he remains active for Sunday afternoon’s game at New England.

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