Being undrafted is often a death sentence to a player's chances of making the NFL. Every year, however, players on almost every NFL team make the final roster despite not hearing their name called in the NFL draft. The Pittsburgh Steelers have had many notable players follow that route, including James Harrison, Mike Hilton, and even just this past season with Beanie Bishop Jr.
With training camp underway in Latrobe, there are plenty of players trying to replicate that success. One of those players, tight end/fullback DJ Thomas-Jones, looked like he could fit a niche role for offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's offense.
Unfortunately, it looks like he may have been robbed of an opportunity to prove his worth due to an ankle injury suffered during Sunday's practice. ESPN's Brooke Pryor confirmed with coach Mike Tomlin that it appears to be a serious injury.
Pittsburgh Steelers' losing potential contributor DJ Thomas-Jones could impact how the offense looks in 2025
It's a huge blow for Thomas-Jones' chance of sticking with the team long term, as he could have pushed Connor Heyward for the fourth tight end spot had he stayed healthy. Heyward has been a fine role player since joining the team as a sixth-round pick back in 2022, but his target numbers went from 34 in 2023 to just eight in 2024.
Being Cam Heyward's brother undoubtedly gives him a boost thanks to the Steelers' fascination with family ties, but he is far from a roster lock. If Thomas-Jones were to miss the rest of camp, however, Heyward's only competition would be another undrafted tight end in JJ Galbreath.
The younger Heyward's versatility to play as a fullback and as a move tight end would likely give him an edge over Galbreath. Thomas-Jones could have offered the same versatility while offering more traditional tight end size at 6-2, 256 pounds.
The position of fullback has been dying in the NFL for years now, so it would have been interesting to see if the Steelers would have used the undrafted tight end in that role often had he not gone down with the ankle injury.
Hopefully, the injury is less severe than it looked, and we get to see him get a chance to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.