With significant questions at running back entering the offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been busy addressing their backfield depth this month. On January 20, they did that again by bringing back veteran Jonathan Ward.
NFL insider Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston reported the Steelers signed Ward to a reserve/future contract.
The Steelers also announced signing Ward on the team’s official X (formerly Twitter) account.
Ward is the third running back the Steelers have inked to a reserve/future contract. On January 14, the team signed running backs Evan Hull and Aaron Shampklin to the same type of contract.
Ward rushed for 22 yards on five rushing attempts for the Steelers in 2024. He played in only four games but finished the campaign fourth for Pittsburgh in rushing.
Among the running backs who are on the Steelers roster entering the offseason, Ward was second in rushing yards last season. Both of the team’s top running backs, Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, are set to be free agents.
Steelers Bring Back RB Jonathan Ward
The Steelers signed Ward to a 1-year deal worth $1.125 million in May 2024. He spent the entire offseason with the team and then began the 2024 campaign on Pittsburgh’s practice squad.
Ward made his Steelers debut as a practice squad elevation in Week 5. He played in Weeks 6 and 7 as a practice squad elevation as well.
With his practice squad promotions exhausted, the Steelers signed Ward to the active roster for Week 8. But he didn’t dress for another game after that. The Steelers released him during their bye week and re-signed him to their practice squad after he cleared waivers.
Ward joined the Steelers active roster again on November 16, but he didn’t appear in a game.
The 27-year-old running back began his career with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He appeared in 32 games for the Cardinals from 2020-22.
After the Cardinals waived Ward in November 2022, he signed with the New York Jets. Ward, though, never played for the Jets. He finished the 2022 campaign with the Tennessee Titans. He also played for the Titans in 2023.
In 46 career NFL games, Ward has posted 91 rushing yards on 22 attempts. He’s also caught six passes for 52 yards.
He had 22 yards from scrimmage on his five rushing attempts with the Steelers in 2024. Ward played 10 offensive snaps and 59 snaps on special teams in Pittsburgh.
Steelers’ Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren Free Agents This Offseason
The Steelers re-signed Ward with Harris and Warren scheduled to be free agents in less than two months.
Harris will be an unrestricted free agent after the Steelers opted not to pick up the fifth-year of his rookie contract. Warren will be a restricted free agent.
Due to that fact and his higher efficiency, Warren is more likely to be back than Harris next season.
Harris never averaged more than 4.1 yards per carry in any of his four seasons with the Steelers. He eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark every season, but Harris needed 250-plus carries every year to do that.
Warren’s efficiency dropped in 2024. But he’s averaged 4.8 yards per carry in his career overall. In 2023, he ran for 784 yards while posting 5.3 yards per attempt.
Warren might be Pittsburgh’s preferred running back to re-sign anyway. But it should also be easier to bring back Warren because of his restricted free agency.
It’s unclear what type of market Harris will have in March. But he will be free to engage with any team at the start of the NFL’s legal tampering period.
But whether Harris or Warren are back in 2025, the Steelers must further address running back this offseason. They lacked the explosive running game that other elite teams such as the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles displayed this past season.
The Steelers don’t necessarily have to be the most innovative passing team to win playoff games again. But they will need more bigger chunk plays from the backfield, especially until they find a franchise quarterback.
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Steelers Bring Back Veteran RB With Major Backfield Questions Entering Offseason