When Xazavian Valladay sped past linebacker Tanner Muse during a one-on-one passing drill and dove to extend for a Mason Rudolph pass 30 yards down the sideline Wednesday, it was less than 25 hours after his signing was announced by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It was just one play during a training-camp practice. But Valladay hopes it’s a glimpse into what he can bring at the NFL level.
“My job is to make the team,” Valladay said Wednesday at Saint Vincent College, “so that’s what I am here to do: to make this team as a Pittsburgh Steeler. I have to be able to go out there be able to show that I belong here in the league.”
Valladay (6-feet, 198 pounds) led the Pac-12 in rushing touchdowns (16) and total touchdowns (18) last season, finishing second in rushing yards (1,192) and yards from scrimmage (1,481) in 12 games for Arizona State.
Adding four prior years at Wyoming, Valladay amassed 5,339 yards from scrimmage and 39 touchdowns in 52 college games. And while that wasn’t enough to get him drafted (in part because he turned 25 in July) it did earn him $175,000 in guarantees from the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent.
For context, that is roughly what a player taken in the sixth round would have gotten.
Still, after summer workouts, three weeks of training camp and an NFL preseason debut in which he managed 8 yards on four carries, the Texans waived Valladay on Sunday.
The Steelers signed him after he cleared, and Valladay has little interest in discussing what went wrong in Houston.
“Just putting it behind me,” he said. “I am a Steeler now, so I just have to go out there and play ball and show the Steelers what I can do.”
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— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 1, 2023
During his second practice Wednesday, Valladay was given opportunities for carries during team run drills. He showed some elusiveness with some tough inside runs during the live tackling periods.
The Steelers clearly believe that a player who was so productive in college deserves a shot to see if he can somehow contribute to a running backs room that includes Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren and Anthony McFarland, in addition to the recently-signed Greg Bell and undrafted rookie Darius Hagans.
“I just have to come out here and be a ‘dog,’ ” Valladay said. “In this game, you’ve got to be a dog, because if you’re not that’s when you put some bad stuff on tape. I take my work very seriously, and I have been working hard all my life. I am a competitor at all I do, and I know to be a dog at it.”
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