Pittsburgh Steelers: Could Ray Graham be promoted to active roster soon?
By Matt Shetler
The Pittsburgh Steelers made what seemed to be a minor move on Wednesday when they signed former Pitt running back Ray Graham to the practice squad.
Apparently that move isn’t the minor move it seemed on paper, as we could see Graham promoted to the active roster fairly soon.
December 1, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Ray Graham (1) reacts after he scored a touchdown against the South Florida Bulls during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Pittsburgh Panthers defeated the South Florida Bulls 27-3. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
According to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Graham wasn’t signed just to go out and take reps in practice on the scout team, he was signed to eventually make it to the team’s 53-man roster.
Graham was on the Houston Texans’ active roster for two weeks before being released this week. He was on his way back to the Texans’ practice squad, but the Steelers reportedly came in with an assurance that he would make the active roster as soon as he picked up on the offense.
Of course if that is true a roster move needs to be made – and that’s not very good news for Felix Jones.
Bouchette also notes that Jones likely will be cut once Graham gets promoted. That makes sense as Jones has been rather quiet the past six weeks, a span in which the Steelers have won four of six games.
On the season, the former Cowboys’ first-round pick has 36 rushing attempts for 128 yards, a 3.6 yards per carry average, with eight catches for 59 yards. He also has a 23.5-yard kick return average.
The 5-foot-9 Graham could turn out to be a nice change-of-pace third-down back if given the opportunity.
While at Pitt he rushed for 3,271 yards in four years with 32 touchdowns, despite tearing an ACL in the middle of his junior season. He also caught 98 passes for 799 yards, so he has the ability to make an impact in the passing game.
It looks as if we will find out soon whether the undrafted Graham’s skill set can make an impact at the NFL level as well.