The Pittsburgh Steelers have elevated running back Aaron Shampklin and cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. from their practice squad for Sunday’s Week 4 game against the Indianapolis Colts, the team announced on Saturday.
Shampklin will help replace second running back Jaylen Warren, who will miss the game with a knee injury after being pulled from play in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Cordarrelle Patterson will move up the depth chart to the No. 2 slot at running back, with Shampklin slotting in as the team’s third back.
A 24-year-old Harvard alum, the Shampklin is in line to make his NFL debut on Sunday. The Paramount, California native first signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and has spent time with the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Gamblers of the USFL before catching on with the Steelers in January.
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In three preseason games for the Steelers this season, Shampklin ran 13 times for 40 yards and caught three passes for three yards. After being released in the final round of cuts in late August, Shampklin did not make the team’s initial practice squad, but he was re-signed to the practice squad on Sept. 4 after Boston Scott suffered an injury.
The Steelers chose to elevate Shampklin over veteran running back Jonathan Ward, who is also on the practice squad.
Graham, 25, will be making his Steelers debut. The former sixth-round pick of the Chicago Bears out of Oregon in 2021, Graham played in four games with the Bears in 2021 and seven games with the Cleveland Browns in 2022, but spent the entire 2023 season on the Cleveland practice squad without appearing in a game.
Graham joined the Steelers in January and was in competition with rookie Beanie Bishop for the team’s slot cornerback job in training camp. He had three tackles and one pass defended in the preseason.
The Steelers will be playing without backup outside cornerback Cory Trice Jr., who had also been serving as the team’s Dime cornerback in sub packages. Trice was placed on the injured reserve list after injuring his hamstring against the Chargers.
Starting outside cornerback Donte Jackson is also banged up. He is attempting to play through a shoulder strain this week.
Graham will likely replace Trice as the team’s Dime cornerback, while James Pierre serves as the backup outside corner.