Pittsburgh Steelers Make RB Move Before Patriots Game

The Pittsburgh Steelers turned to a familiar kind of veteran insurance this week, announcing that they have elevated running back Travis Homer from the practice squad ahead of Sunday’s game at New England.

The move is modest on paper and typical of how NFL clubs manage the 53-man roster and weekly elevations, yet it quietly underscores what Homer has become after seven seasons in the league: a reliable, scheme-versatile backup whose value lives as much on fourth down as it does in the offensive backfield.

Homer arrived in Pittsburgh in late March on a one-year contract after three seasons with the Chicago Bears. The Steelers released him at the end of August and quickly brought him back on the practice squad, a common path for veterans who lose a numbers game in a crowded running back room.

With Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle already established and a rookie also in the mix, Homer’s path to snaps was always going to run through special teams and emergency depth.

Elevating him for the Patriots game gives the coaching staff another body who already knows the playbook and has played meaningful snaps in similar situations.

That résumé began in 2019, when Seattle selected him in the sixth round out of Miami. Undersized at 5-foot-10 and a little over 200 pounds, Homer never developed into a featured runner, but he carved out a role as a change-of-pace option and a willing pass protector.

Across 85 career games, he has 90 carries for 474 yards and a touchdown, plus 55 receptions for 475 yards and two scores. The numbers are modest; the efficiency is not.

A 5.3-yard rushing average and a pair of receiving touchdowns hint at the burst and hands that first showed up in Coral Gables, where he rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and earned second-team All-ACC honors.

What has kept him employed is special teams. Homer has returned kickoffs, covered kicks and punts, forced and recovered fumbles, and once took a fake punt 73 yards for a touchdown in Seattle.

Those plays do not fill highlight reels every week, but they accumulate. Coaches prize players who can diagnose blocks, finish tackles in space, and handle the messy, high-leverage moments that decide field position.

After losing several core special-teams contributors in free agency, Pittsburgh has a clear need in that department. Homer’s elevation is an attempt to fill it without disrupting the offensive rotation.

None of this guarantees he will stay active beyond Sunday. Practice-squad elevations are temporary by design; he will revert after the game unless the team makes a more permanent roster adjustment. Still, the decision itself is telling.

At 28, Homer is no longer the prospect Seattle drafted. He is the veteran who has survived roster cuts, injuries, and scheme changes by being useful in the places most players would rather not work.

For a Steelers team still settling into a new coaching staff and looking for reliable depth on the road, that kind of player is worth a call-up.

Whether he sees the field against New England or simply provides insurance, Homer’s presence is a reminder that NFL rosters are built as much on the edges as they are in the spotlight.