Steelers running back suffers season-ending injury at training camp

After fullback Monte Pottebaum surprisingly elected to retire from the NFL prior to his first preseason game, the Pittsburgh Steelers received word that they had lost another member of their backfield. On Sunday, running back Alfonzo Graham could be seen on the sideline with a sling on his right arm. Now it appears he will be lost fo the season.

On Monday, Graham took to Twitter to share the news that he had suffered a torn labrum and a message that included, 'See y'all in 2024.'

This is a very unfortunate blow to the rookie running back out of Morgan State. Though the third-string running back job is technically wide open, Graham needed a big summer in order to stick around on the 53-man roster. Tragically, before the team's very first fully-padded practice, Graham's season is lost.

At 5'9'' and 180 pounds, Graham was undersized and didn't project as an ideal backup, but his ability as a return man could have potentially changed that. With this news, the Steelers are working out former USFL star running back, ZaQuandre White.

White isn't a special athlete, but he has good size and vision at the running back position. If signed, he will compete with players like Darius Hagans, Jason Huntley, and Anthony McFarland Jr. for the final running back spot on the team. McFarland is the former draft pick and has been impressive so far at Steelers training camp. It's presumed that he will be the favorite to land the job, but his lack of special teams ability could ultimately hurt him.

For as much as the Pittsburgh Steelers plan to run the football in 2023, they are going to need to find a quality RB3 to operate behind Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. In the event of an injury, this third-string running back will be called upon.

For now, we wish nothing but the best for Alfonzo Graham on his road to recovery. We may not see him on the football field again until 2024.