On Wednesday October 27 the Pittsburgh Steelers released fourth-year running back Jaylen Samuels from the practice squad. A day later, he was one of two backs who worked out for the Houston Texans, this according to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson.
The Texans are suddenly in need of help at the position, having traded 11th-year back Mark Ingram to the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday. Hence their interest in Samuels and Darius Jackson, the latter of whom is a former sixth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys (2016) who spent time with the Texans in August.
As a Rookie, Samuels Had a Career Game Against the Patriots
As for Samuels, he’s a 2018 fifth-round pick (North Carolina State) who played in 42 games for the Steelers, including eight starts. His standout game came late in his rookie year, when he started in place of an injured James Conner and produced 172 total yards en route to a 17-10 win over New England.
Even if you don’t recall the details of that contest, you may remember how Samuels took a seat on the Patriots bench after a 17-yard rush took him onto the New England sideline. Needless to say, the two Pats he sat alongside didn’t take kindly to his presence.
Should Samuels get the opportunity to play for the Texans—or another NFL team—he’ll have a chance to build on career stats that include 131 carries for 459 yards and one touchdown, per Pro Football Reference.
This season he failed to make Pittsburgh’s roster for the first time in his career, though the team immediately signed him back to its practice squad on September 1, 2021.
NFL Films Set to Air a Segment on Tomlinisms
Meanwhile, on Thursday NFL Films tweeted out a note letting fans know that it plans to air a segment on Tomlinisms, those pithy quotes that longtime Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is famous for uttering during press conferences.
These range from oldies but goodies like “two dogs, one bone” to more recent gems like “We’re still squirreling those nuts.”
The most recent example is “never say never, but never,” which he uttered in anger on October 26, this in response to recent rumors about him being considered for college head coaching jobs at USC and LSU.
No word yet on when NFL Films plans to air the piece, except that it will be sometime next week on NFL Films Presents.
Steelers Injury Report Update Week 8
Finally, in terms of this week’s injury/participation report, there’s relatively little in the way of new injuries to be concerned about.
The most notable exception is backup outside linebacker Melvin Ingram III, who was limited for the second straight day on Thursday with a groin injury. Ingram’s name has been in the news in the past week as a potential trade candidate, and a report emerged on Thursday that the Kansas City Chiefs have already made an offer for Ingram.
Also on Thursday, Eric Ebron’s name appeared on the report for the first time this week, as the eighth-year tight end was limited in practice with a hamstring injury. Ebron kinda sorta made news on Monday October 25 when he indicated that he was “not going to say anything” about the very limited number of times he has been targeted this season.
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