Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers must get back on the win column after falling at home against the Seattle Seahawks. With that goal in mind going into week 3 of the 2025 NFL season, Mike Tomlin elevated a practice squad player to the 53-man roster.
It’s safe to say the Steelers are covered at the running back position. However, it seems Tomlin believes one can never be too sure. As a result, another half-back will be joining Rodgers and Pittsburgh in their upcoming showdown with the New England Patriots.
Trey Sermon signed a one-year contract with the Steelers during the NFL offseason, but hadn’t been utilized since the season got underway. With concerns in the backfield and deflating stat lines week in and week out, Tomlin decided to add another player to the internal competition.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers have announced that they are elevating veteran running back Trey Sermon from the practice squad,” as reported by Sports Illustrated.
Steelers’ depth chart at RB
With Sermon’s addition to the mix, the Steelers now feature a four-headed monster at running back. Of course, it’s still far from becoming the kind of feared creature that strikes terror across the NFL. Through two games, Tomlin’s offense has recorded just 125 rushing yards—an average of 62.5 per contest, the third-worst mark in the league—and no touchdowns.
Jaylen Warren will continue to lead the pack (so far, he registers 25 carries for 85 yards). Kenneth Gainwell and Kaleb Johnson will follow behind, with Sermon hoping to grab a piece of the pie, as well.
After last week’s blunder in a kickoff that gifted Seattle a touchdown, Johnson is under much scrutiny in Pittsburgh and he might not be a factor at all in Foxborough. The Seahawks hadn’t recovered an own kickoff for a touchdown since 1981,and it appears the rookie out of Iowa will have to carry that burden for a long time in his NFL career.
Help A-Rod out
Needless to say, such a toothless ground attack makes life that much harder for Rodgers and the passing game. With no real threat of Pittsburgh pounding the rock, defenses have already solved a big part of the chess match.
As a result, Tomlin and his staff can’t lean on play-action nearly as often. That was evident in last week’s loss to the Seahawks, when OC Arthur Smith dialed up just five play-action attempts, with Rodgers completing only one—for a meager five-yard gain.
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It’s clear as day the Steelers have many areas to address in both the offense and defense, but focusing on fundamentals like running the football effectively could go a long way for the attack to truly take off in the NFL season.