Steelers Ryan Shazier eyes return to football with Hall of Fame goal

The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a tragic loss when Ryan Shazier went down in 2017. Now a return to football might be more realistic than we thought.

The Steelers front office found a gem when they drafted Ryan Shazier with the 15th overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft. While Shazier never started more than 12 games in a single year over the course of his four seasons due to injury, he was still a back-to-back Pro Bowl player in 2016 and 2017.

Shazier’s freakish combination of athleticism, instincts, and play-making ability made him one of the best linebackers in the league, and he was only beginning to scratch the surface of his potential.

However, Ryan Shazier went down with a spinal cord injury in the second half of the 2017 season. Doctors were not sure if the Steelers’ linebacker would ever be able to walk again, but Shazier climbed mountains of adversity to get to where he is now.

Ryan Shazier recently joined the Pat McAfee Show to talk about the recovery process and what lies ahead. Shazier was pleasantly optimistic about the progress he has made. He had the following to say about his health and what to expect next:

"“I’m doing amazing man, I literally can’t complain. The same doctors that said I wouldn’t ever walk again, they’re just giving me the same amount of hope in saying if you continue with the same progress you might be able to play again. So, I’m just working my [butt] off man and thanking God every single day.”"

Shazier’s positive outlook in the midst of adversity is enough to give hope to even the faintest of heart. But the Pro Bowl linebacker doesn’t just want to make a full recovery or a return to the game of football. He has Hall of Fame aspirations. Here is what he said on his timetable for return and his high goals:

"“Honestly I’m not going to give myself a timetable but my doctor said if I keep grinding, there’s a very strong possibility that I can continue to get healthy so my goal is the same as it was before… I’ll be honest, my goal is to still make the Hall of Fame. That hasn’t changed. That was my goal before I got hurt. I say something like a week or two before I got hurt, I was like man I honestly feel that I was the best linebacker in the league and if not, one of the best linebackers of all time.”"

While some of us would probably be telling Ryan to cool his jets and just focus on getting healthy before talking about the Hall of Fame, it was because of his determination and goals that helped him push through the pain and get to where he is right now.

The Steelers may have found Shazier’s replacement in Michigan stud, Devin Bush, but there is still hope. Pittsburgh elected not to cut ties with Shazier. Instead, they put him on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform List.

Ryan Shazier still seems like he is a long ways from football, as he works to continues to regain full movement. However, a return is not out the realm of possibility. Shazier is still just 26 years old, and has good years left ahead of him. If anyone can make a return from this injury, it is him.