As Steelers Nation waits with baited breath to see if both Mike Tomlin can prevent another Steelers let down on the road vs. Cleveland and Rex Ryan can pull a rabbit out of his hat, one man’s season is already over at the South Side.
The Steelers announced that undrafted rookie free agent Roosevelt Nix season ends as they place the fullback on injured reserve after injuring a metatarsal in the Steelers horrendous 20-17 loss to Baltimore.
- On Kevin Colbert’s watch, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had almost uncanny success with undrafted rookie free agents.
Even taking that into consideration, the Steelers decision to keep Roosevelt Nix tested the patience of many of the faithful in Steelers Nation. In Will Johnson the Steelers already had one fullback, carrying two seemed like an extravagance in a league where entire concept of a fullback is rapidly becoming extinct.
- But Mike Tomlin saw something he liked in Roosevelt Nix, and kept him on the team.
The rookie fullback vindicated his coach’s faith in him. Nix played well enough to displace Will Johnson at fullback. While the Steelers did use two back formations frequently, very quickly it was Nix and not Johnson that lined up offer extra protection for Ben Roethlisberger or to be lead blocker for Le’Veon Bell or DeAngelo Williams.
Todd Haley never gave Roosevelt Nix the chance to carry the ball, but Nix did catch two passes for 16 yards. He also excelled on special teams where he registered 7 solo tackles and helped force a fumble on a punt in the Steelers narrow victory over the Raiders.
Steelers Activate Fort to Take Nix’s Place
As fullback Roosevelt Nix season ends, L.T. Fort’s begins. To take Nix’s place on the roster, the Steelers have activated linebacker L.T. Fort.
The Steelers signed L.T. fort in August when they cut inside linebacker Jordan Zumwalt and while Fort didn’t make the active roster, he has been a member of the Steelers practice squad for the entire season.
Fort has been in the league since 2012, when he appeared in 16 games with the Cleveland Browns. Fort couldn’t hold a roster spot in 2013 and was out of football, although he did get into one game with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014 and he also spent time on the Cincinnati Bengals roster.
