‘Bruiser’ Master Teague Knew He’d Impressed Steelers in Camp

PITTSBURGH — Master Teague is back with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Three months after he was waived with an injury designation, the Steelers brought back the bruising back to their practice squad on Wednesday. However, his end with the Steelers in training camp was a bittersweet one. After suffering a low ankle sprain that cut his time in training camp short, Teague knew he might just come back to Pittsburgh.

Throughout the rehab process with his ankle injury, the Steelers made sure to check up on Teague and assure he was coming along well. More importantly, they even set out a rough timeframe for where he could potentially return to the team. It was around this time, and now Teague is back in the locker room.

“I had a talk with Omar and Coach Tomlin and they were impressed by what I did,” Teague said. “Nothing is guaranteed, but they had some interest in me, and so, they wanted to make sure I was getting healthy back at home and they could get me back. I’m glad I’m here now.”

So, what did Teague do back home? He watched the Steelers play over and over again. Even when watching them play, some familiarity with terminology and play selection came to his mind. So, now that he is back in the fold, Teague is hoping to have an accelerated learning curve. With Jaylen Warren banged up with a hamstring injury, it is possible that if brought along quickly enough, Teague could see himself play as soon as Monday.

“As I keep going, I’ll be more integrated into it, but I’m feeling good,” Teague said. “When we’re going over the plays, everything came back to me. I still had some memorization even when I was watching games at home. I can recall certain plays, even with special teams. Honestly, I remember a lot on punt and punt return.”

After working out and understanding the system Teague was ready to get back onto the football field. It has been three months since Teague saw action. He returns to a place with some familiarity, which can help bridge that gap. His conditioning is up to snuff, which is as key as it possibly can be for him to stick around on the practice squad and potentially compete for more next offseason.

“It’s a blessing to be back, man,” Teague said. “I’m just ready to get to work and it was great to get out there today. I had to get off some rust.”

Teague’s injury is now in the past. It took the time that the Steelers and he both thought it would to fully heal. So, Teague had to be patient in order to get the call whenever he would come back. But knowing he had impressed the team, it felt like it could come at any moment. Now, that he is back, Teague is hoping to make a statement.

“I’m a north and south guy, I’m a bruiser,” Teague said. “I like to be physical, and I’m not afraid of that. Before someone can punish me, you can bet I’ll be the first one to do that.”

Now, Teague joins a group including Anthony McFarland and Jason Huntley on the practice squad. If Warren is unable to play, one of these three running backs are likely to see themselves elevated to the active roster with Benny Snell being the backup to Najee Harris.