The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed former West Virginia running back Wendell Smallwood, the team announced on Tuesday.
Smallwood, a 5-foot-10, 208-pound running back, is entering his fifth professional season. He spent 2019 with the Washington Redskins, rushing for 81 yards on 22 carries and also catching nine passes for 64 yards.
Before his time in Washington, Smallwood spent three seasons in Philadelphia after being drafted by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He played in 37 games for Philadelphia, making nine starts and rushed for a combined 840 yards on 211 carries and scored eight total touchdowns.
Smallwood was on Philadelphia’s Super Bowl LII championship team after the 2017 season, but did not play in the game.
In three seasons at West Virginia, Smallwood played in 38 games and rushed for 2,462 yards and 12 touchdowns on 425 carries. He had a breakout season as a junior in 2015, when he rushed for 1,519 yards and averaged 6.4 yards per carry.
Smallwood’s contract with the Steelers is for one season. Financial terms were not disclosed. He joins a running back group that includes six returners in James Conner, Jaylen Samuels, Benny Snell, Trey Edmunds, Kerrith Whyte and Ralph Webb and 2020 rookie Anthony McFarland from Maryland.
The Steelers were able to add Smallwood to their 90-man offseason roster after placing defensive back Arrion Springs on the COVID-19 Restricted List on Monday.