The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing RB Trey Sermon to a one-year deal, per Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. Sermon tried out for the team at Pittsburgh’s rookie minicamp, and he impressed enough to win a job.

It’s the second year in a row that the Steelers have signed a veteran running back after a rookie minicamp tryout, as the team inked RB Jonathan Ward last year following his tryout.

Sermon was a third-round pick by the 49ers in the 2021 NFL Draft, but he lasted just one season in San Francisco. He spent 2022 with the Philadelphia Eagles and had been a member of the Indianapolis Colts for the past two seasons, running the ball 56 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns in 2024.

He had a strong performance against the Steelers in 2023, running 17 times for 88 yards in a Week 15 Colts victory. It was the second-highest output in a game during Sermon’s career, as he ran 19 times for 89 yards in a loss in Week 4 during his rookie year.

Coming out of Ohio State, Sermon measured in at 6003 and 215 pounds and ran a 4.61 40-yard dash.

Sermon’s deal should be for one-year and carry a reduced cap charge due to its veteran benefit structure.

Trey Sermon adds more running back depth for a Steelers team that lost Najee Harris this offseason in free agency. In his place, the team drafted RB Kaleb Johnson in the third round and also signed RB Kenneth Gainwell to go along with Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson.

Sermon also offers special teams value, which could help him make the 53-man roster. Patterson’s standing on the roster seems to be tenuous after he didn’t contribute much in the return game last season, and the Steelers have a plethora of running backs competing for a roster spot. Evan Hull, Aaron Shampklin and Jonathan Ward are all on reserve/futures contracts, and Sermon will likely be competing with those three and Patterson for the team’s final roster spot at running back.

It’s a decision that could come down to special teams value, but the Steelers clearly liked what they saw from Sermon during rookie minicamp, and like Johnson, he’s a bit of a bigger back who can help give the Steelers some thump in the run game. He’ll be on the field when the Steelers start their OTAs on May 27.