Steelers Rookie Returns After Major Injury Scare: Report

Rookie undrafted free agent DJ Thomas-Jones of the Pittsburgh Steelers wasn’t supposed to be back on the football field for months after his injury on July 27. But as it turned out, he only needed seven days.

Steelers Now’s Alan Saunders reported on X that Thomas-Jones was back practicing Sunday.

Thomas-Jones, who has lined up as a full back and tight end during training camp, joined the Steelers as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft.

Undrafted Rookie TE DJ Thomas-Jones Returns for Steelers

Shocking might be too strong of a word, but Thomas-Jones returning for the Steelers is rather surprising. Steelers insiders such as Penn Live’s Nick Farabaugh painted a very grim prognosis after Thomas-Jones suffered his injury.

“Thomas-Jones was seen getting his left foot or ankle looked at, and he had his shoe off. Whenever he moved, he could not put any weight on his left leg. He was carted off the field and did not return,” wrote Farabaugh.

Farabaugh reported the team feared that Thomas-Jones had sustained a season-ending Achilles injury.

Thomas-Jones’ exact injury is not clear, but obviously, it’s not nearly as serious as an Achilles tear. Back at practice, Thomas-Jones will resume competing with Connor Heyward for Pittsburgh’s full back/tight end role on the roster.

In college Thomas-Jones began his career at Ole Miss. But after just one catch in two seasons, he transferred to South Alabama. With the Jaguars, he had 73 catches for 653 yards and 11 touchdowns in 38 games.

The Steelers signed Thomas-Jones to a $30,000 bonus in undrafted free agency. That matched a team bonus record for an undrafted free agent from last year.

“Thomas-Jones is a 6-2, 250-pounder with 4.65 speed and was a terrific in-line blocker at South Alabama,” 247Sports’ Jim Wexell wrote. “He also caught 73 passes for 653 yards and 11 TDs during in his three seasons there, and also played fullback.”

Undrafted TE Competing With Connor Heyward for Steelers Roster Spot

One narrative around the Steelers offense entering training camp was Heyward’s role. Pittsburgh acquired tight end Jonnu Smith on June 30, which pushed Heyward further down the depth chart.

And Heyward was also expected to see competition from undrafted tight end JJ Galbreath. At South Dakota, Galbreath posted 32 catches for 469 yards and four touchdowns in 2024.

But because he can match Heyward’s versatility, Thomas-Jones may be the biggest threat to Heyward’s roster spot.

“Many thought Thomas-Jones would miss significant time after being unable to place weight on his left leg and being carted off the field last week — but that wasn’t enough to hold the rookie down, as he figures to once again compete with FB/TE Connor Heyward in an underrated positional battle here in Latrobe,” wrote Steelers Wire’s Andrew Vasquez.

The Steelers selected Heyward at No. 208 overall in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s done a little bit of everything for Pittsburgh’s offense the past three seasons.

But even with a very tight end friendly offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith, Heyward saw his playing time decrease in 2024. Pat Freiermuth was healthy and Darnell Washington played a lot more.

Freiermuth and Washington are back with Smith this season. Furthermore, a pair of undrafted rookies appear to be pushing Heyward.