Speedy Steelers RB Returns to Practice

Steelers running back Anthony McFarland Jr. returned to practice on Monday, and his 21-day window to return to the team’s active roster is now open. McFarland and wide receiver Diontae Johnson have until the end of the window to return to the team’s active roster. If they do not, they will be deemed out for the season. That is what happened to Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III last year after he reinjured his foot injury in practice. If McFarland is activated, a player must be released to make room on the active roster.

McFarland told Steelers Now last week that he was ready to return from injured reserve. He was running and running well in Week 1, but if he continued to tear up his knee the way he was, Steelers team doctors feared that he’d need another knee surgery. After seeing first-hand how that can derail a running back’s season earlier in his career, McFarland wanted no part of that.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Anthony McFarland against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 10, 2023. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

“Yep, swelling is gone,” McFarland said last Monday. “I feel good. It was a short-term thing. Didn’t want to play with it and need surgery.”

McFarland now feels that he is ready to go for the team’s Week 6 game against the Los Angeles Rams, which should give the Steelers some stability both at running back, where they’ve played with just two the last two weeks, and at kick returner, where a combination of Calvin Austin III, Desmond King, and Gunner Olszewski has fielded kicks in his absence.

McFarland averaged 30.4 yards per return in the opener. Since then, King (22 yards per return) and Olszewski (12 yards per return) have fallen well short of that mark. McFarland could undoubtedly be of service to the Steelers. Pittsburgh could use the presence, and they hope that McFarland’s speed can add another gear to the unit.