Steelers Clear Roster Spot With Veteran RB Release

The Pittsburgh Steelers are moving on from running back Jonathan Ward, again.

The team announced Thursday it released Ward from the offseason roster. The Steelers didn’t include a corresponding move, so for the time being, Pittsburgh will have an extra roster opening.

Thursday marked the fourth time the Steelers released Ward in the past year. The veteran running back had been on the Pittsburgh roster since signing a futures contract with the team on January 20.

Ward rushed for 22 yards on five carries in four games for the Steelers last season. In 46 NFL games, he has registered 91 rushing yards in his NFL career.

Steelers Part Ways With RB Jonathan Ward

Technically, Ward has experienced just one stint with the Steelers. A player has to sign with another organization before returning to a club for it to count as multiple stints.

Ward hasn’t been on any other team since first signing with the Steelers on May 21, 2024.

But since then, the Steelers have signed and released Ward now four times. First, Ward didn’t make the team’s roster after 2024 training camp, but he returned on the team’s practice squad to begin the season.

Ward played in three games during October as a practice squad elevation. After he reached the maximum amount of elevations, the Steelers signed Ward to their active roster on Oct. 28 for Week 8.

Following that matchup, the Steelers released Ward, to only re-sign him to their practice squad.

That happened again during the second half of last season. The Steelers waived Ward on Dec. 4 and then brought him back on the practice squad two days later.

Given that history, the safe bet is this won’t be the last of Ward in Pittsburgh. The team  clearly doesn’t mind using the running back to juggle roster spots.

Who Will the Steelers Add to Replace Ward on the Roster?

After the Steelers announced the release of Ward on Thursday afternoon, fans were quick to wonder who the team might be targeting to replace the running back on the roster.

Pundits have argued this week the Steelers should add a cornerback in free agency. Some fans on social media speculated that releasing Ward could be a sign the Steelers were making room for former All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

Technically, the Steelers already had a roster space available to add Ramsey if they wished. Before Ward’s release, Pittsburgh had 90 players on its offseason roster, but edge rusher Julius Welschof is exempt through the NFL’s international player program.

In essence, the Steelers are permitted 91 players, so they already had the space before releasing Ward to add another player.

Still, it’s been rather obvious the Steelers haven’t wanted to take advantage of Welschof’s exemption this offseason, as the team has mostly stayed to 90 players on the roster. So, it’s certainly possible the Steelers have a player in mind to add with Ward’s release.

Without Ward, the Steelers have seven running backs remaining on their roster. Jaylen Warren and rookie Kaleb Johnson are expected to have the most carries while veterans Kenneth Gainwell and Cordarrelle Patterson could have small offensive roles as well.

The Steelers also have running backs Trey Sermon, Evan Hull, and Max Hurleman on their offseason roster.