Steelers officially place Shazier on Reserve/PUP list
The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed injured linebacker Ryan Shazier on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, the team announced on Wednesday.
The move makes it official he will miss the 2018 season and means he will not count against the 90-man offseason roster.
Recovering from a spinal injury he suffered in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in December that required surgery, Shazier continues to progress in rehabilitation.
He caused a stir at last week's draft when he took the stage to announce the team's first-round pick, with arms locked with his fiancee, Michelle Rodriguez.
After a rousing ovation subsided, Shazier read the Steelers' selection of Virginia Tech safety Terrell Edmunds with the 28th overall pick.
Shazier has said the possibility of returning to the football field is driving him each day.
"I've got to get back," said Shazier on teammate Roosevelt Nix's podcast earlier this year. "Right now I'm reading a book and it's basically saying trust the process. I'm really trusting the process. I know the end goal. So I'm taking every step of the way, I'm giving everything I got. The therapists are like, 'Man this is crazy; I've never seen anyone work this hard.' They almost see progression every day."
Steelers GM Kevin Colbert said at the scouting combine that Shazier is heavily involved in team activities and will be around the team as much as possible.
At the time, he said the the roster designation will be "a little bit different" than the typical injured player and that Shazier will count against the Steelers' 90-man offseason roster. Colbert said then that the Steelers were prepared to work through training camp with 89, but apparently had a change of heart.
--Field Level Media
