The Pittsburgh Steelers recently added running back and kickoff return specialist Cordarrelle Patterson to their roster. But on April 4, they moved on from a different running back — Alfonzo Graham.
The Steelers announced on their official X (formerly Twitter) account that they waived Graham.
“We have waived RB Alfonzo Graham,” the official Steelers account posted.
A 2023 undrafted free agent, Graham received an invitation to Pittsburgh’s rookie minicamp last May. He then signed a contract to join the team’s 90-man roster.
But in training camp, Graham suffered a torn labrum, which sidelined him for the entire season.
Steelers Depot’s Josh Carney wrote that Pittsburgh’s roster now contains 73 players. Carney added that waiving Graham did not impact the Rule of 51.
Without Graham, the Steelers have Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren and Aaron Shampklin along with Patterson on the roster at running back.
Steelers Waive RB Alfonzo Graham
Graham arrived in Pittsburgh after rushing for 1,656 yards with 13 touchdowns in two seasons at Morgan State. He also had 31 receptions and a receiving touchdown.
During his senior college season in 2022, Graham earned first-team All-MEAC honors.
Prior to Morgan State, Graham played college football at Arizona Western and Fullerton College. Steelers general manager Omar Khan scouted Graham at the HBCU Combine.
Unfortunately, he didn’t receive an opportunity to compete for the No. 3 running back role with the Steelers last season because of his training camp injury. He won’t get that chance this year either.
After Graham’s injury, the Steelers replaced him on the 90-man roster with former Penn State running back John Lovett. The Steelers waived Graham following the injury, but after he cleared waivers, he returned to the team’s roster on injured reserve.
At the Morgan State pro day, Graham ran a 4.56 40-yard dash and posted a 35-inch vertical.
Steelers Now’s Nick Farabaugh reported Graham suffered his torn labrum during a 7-on-7 drill.
Steelers RB Depth After Releasing Graham
Although the Steelers signed Patterson more as a kickoff return specialist, with the 33-year-old on the roster, Pittsburgh appears set at running back.
More than likely, there won’t be any competition for the top three spots in the backfield. The question will be whether the Steelers elect to keep a fourth running back on the active roster.
Shampklin could have the inside track at that role if it’s available to anyone. Again, other than Harris, Warren and Patterson, Shampklin is now the only other running back on Pittsburgh’s roster.
An undrafted rookie in 2022, Shampkin has spent time with the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers. The Steelers signed him to a reserve/futures contract on January 17.
The Steelers could also add more running back depth either late in the draft or with undrafted free agents following draft weekend.
At the top of Pittsburgh’s running back depth chart, the Steelers could have one of the top duos again with Harris and Warren. The pair combined for 1,819 rushing yards and more than 2,300 yards from scrimmage last season.
Harris has recorded 1,000-rushing yard campaigns in each of his first three seasons with the Steelers. Warren, who was an undrafted free agent in 2022, averaged 5.3 yards per carry last season and caught 61 passes.
Patterson wasn’t heavily involved on offense with the Atlanta Falcons last season. But in 2021, he posted a career-high 1,166 yards from scrimmage and 11 total touchdowns.
Then in 2022, he ran for a career-best 695 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Patterson also holds the all-time NFL record with 9 kickoff returns for touchdowns.
