Pittsburgh Steelers place James Conner on IR, sign Stevan Ridley

The Pittsburgh Steelers made a change at running back with only two regular season games left.

With rookie running back, James Conner, undergoing knee surgery, the Pittsburgh Steelers were forced to make a last minute decision on the future of their backfield. Although Conner could’ve possibly played during the playoffs, the team decided to place the rookie on season-ending injured reserve in Week 16.

With the decision, the Steelers used the open roster spot to sign veteran running back, Stevan Ridley to the active roster. Ridley, a NFL journeyman, has seen his fare share of teams in this league, spending time with the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons and even won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots.

Now, he’ll come to Pittsburgh as the backup to Le’Veon Bell, likely splitting backup carries with Fitzgerald Toussaint.

The Steelers definitely had options to replace the injured Conner. With Terrell Watson on the practice squad, spending most of the season on the active roster, many believed he was going to be the move to replace the rookie.

Knile Davis was also an option as he spent most of the summer with the team before missing the cut right before the regular season.

Some even believed DeAngelo Williams was an option for the team. Even in his mid 30’s, Pittsburgh fans would’ve been very excited to see Williams return to the team after spending two incredible seasons as a Steeler.

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Ridley won’t have much of a workload for right now, but having a veteran presence to rely on just in case is important for a team who’s seen it’s fair share of injuries. Although this is Le’Veon Bell’s backfield, the Steelers always need to have someone they can turn to incase of emergency. Especially this close to the postseason.