Former Ohio State RB Master Teague eager for his opportunity with Steelers

Master Teague was at his home in Tennessee more than a week after NFL training camps had opened when his phone rang.

“My agent called, and he said, ‘You ready to go to the Steelers?’” Teague recalled Thursday.

“‘Oh, yeah, of course, let’s go!’ I was on a plane up that day.”

A former starting running back for an Ohio State team that twice made the College Football Playoff, the 5-foot-11, 220-pound Teague was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday. With injuries afflicting starter Najee Harris and newly signed veteran Jeremy McNichols (McNichols was placed on injured reserve when Teague was signed), Teague has an opportunity to get some reps in a backfield that has no set-in-stone, obvious Nos. 2-3 behind Harris.

“Definitely a blessing, just taking advantage of every chance I get,” Teague said. “I need to get up to speed a little bit, I am behind, of course, the other guys who have been here, so I am learning all I can and soaking it all up.”

Teague was second-team all-Big Ten in 2020 and third-team all-conference in 2019, after which each season Ohio State was a national finalist and semifinalist, respectively. Teague and Harris (of Alabama) were the primary running backs for their teams in the national championship game at the end of the 2020 season. Each had two first-half touchdowns.

Jeremy McNichols, who was signed on the day players reported for camp, was placed on injured reserve Wednesday with a shoulder injury.https://t.co/2fq4KDnD3b

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) August 3, 2022

Teague finished his career with 1,764 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in 31 games, despite splitting time with a handful of other NFL-caliber running backs the Buckeyes program has produced.

Known more as a powerful runner who lacks breakaway speed, Teague went undrafted and despite participating in a team’s rookie minicamp, had gone unsigned until August. As such, he remains a longshot to stick with the team come the regular season, but that doesn’t mean Teague doesn’t have the attention of coach Mike Tomlin.

“Coach Tomlin called me over on the first day I was here, that was the first thing he wanted to talk about (was) making sure you make an impact on that special teams unit,” Teague said. “It’s very important and that’s going to help you even more gain a spot on this team and have chance to play the running back position.”

Teague said special teams coordinator Danny Smith and special teams captain Derek Watt have been helpful in helping Teague assimilate into the organization. While special teams might be the initial path, Teague knows anything can happen.

“In football, you have injuries, you have guys go down, and you just have a next-guy-up mentality where the next guy up has to be just as good or better than the guy before,” Teague said. “So I am looking to continue to learn and grow and hopefully be that guy they count on.”

Hey, Steelers Nation, get the latest news about the Pittsburgh Steelers here.