The Pittsburgh Steelers entered their preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills with several roster spots still up for grabs. One of those was the team's third-string running back. And after Thursday night, the Steelers have every reason to keep Lew Nichols on the 53-man roster.
With Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle secure in their roles, there was a three-way battle for the third running back job. Entering training camp, Kaleb Johnson—the Steelers' 2025 third-round pick—was considered the frontrunner. Meanwhile, Travis Homer's special teams ability gave him an added advantage, while it looked like rookie Eli Heidenreich was destined for the practice squad.
But Nichols was simply impossible to ignore this preseason.
After a quieter performance against the Jets last week, head coach Mike McCarthy gave Nichols a bulk of the first-half touches from the backfield... and he didn't disappoint. In the first two quarters, the journeyman running back carried the ball seven times for 40 rushing yards (5.7 yards per carry). He also caught his lone first-half target for a 13-yard gain.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have every reason to give RB Lew Nichols a roster spot
It was just about the numbers he put up; it's about what he showed on the field. Nichols did an excellent job chipping in the backfield on opposing pass rushers, while he showed quick feet, vision, and shiftiness running the football.
In some ways, Nichols looked like Jaylen Warren back there. And with the pressure on, he delivered.
Unfortunately, Nichols' spectacular showing doesn't guarantee him a roster spot. But I don't know what more he needs to show. Nichols was with Pittsburgh last summer, where he also had an impressive season (of course, that came with Mike Tomlin's old coaching staff).
Assuming he's doing things right in practice, I see no reason Nichols shouldn't overtake Johnson for the team's third running back role. If we're ignoring their draft positions and simply looking at the results, Nichols might have been the best running back on the team all August.
Between Warren and Dowdle, there won't be many carries to go around for a third running back—whether that proves to be Nichols or someone else. But this young man has fought tooth and nail for a shot at making his mark in the NFL, and I don't know what else he needs to show to make the 53-man roster.
Lew Nichols was a long shot from the beginning, but after showing everything we wanted to see, it would be hard for the Pittsburgh Steelers to justify keeping him off the final roster.
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