Steelers Cut HBCU Alum Running Back

The Pittsburgh Steelers have waived undrafted rookie Darius Hagans, the team announced on Monday.

A rookie undrafted free agent out of Virginia State, Hagans signed with the team on June 5 after first agreeing to a contract with the Indianapolis Colts.

He played in all three of the Steelers’ preseason games, getting the most playing time in the first game against Tampa Bay, when he played 12 snaps. He got three snaps against Buffalo and seven against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night, per PFF.

Hagans finished the preseason with 12 carries for 30 yards — a 2.5 yards per carry average. He also had two catches for negative-four yards.

The Steelers had three backs on their 90-man roster working behind starter Najee Harris, change of pace option Jaylen Warren and key backup Anthony McFarland. Greg Bell and Xazavian Valladay remain on the roster after Hagans’ release.

Hagans’ release was one of 10 on Monday to bring the Steelers down to 72 players on their active roster. The team has until 4 p.m. on Tuesday to reach the NFL regular season limit of 53 players.

As a senior at Virginia State, Hagans appeared in 10 games for the Trojans. He accumulated a career-high 189 carries for 1,012 yards and six rushing touchdowns. Additionally, Hagans caught 17 passes for 135 receiving yards in 2022.

Following the season, Hagans earned a first-team All-CIAA selection as he ranked second in the conference in carries, rushing yards, and rushing yards per game (101.2).

Hagans played in the 2023 HBCU Legacy Bowl Game and participated in the 2023 HBCU Combine that was set up to help further the HBCU players’ reach and publicity.