Steelers Now
Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back and fifth-round draft pick Jaylen Samuels is making a return to pro football in the CFL.
Samuels, 28, has signed with the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League, according to the CFL transactions page for Monday.
A fifth-round pick of the Steelers in the 2018 NFL Draft out of NC State, Samuels last played with the Houston Texans during the 2021 NFL season. He spent part of the 2022 offseason with the Arizona Cardinals and signed to the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL for the spring 2023 season, but did not play a game. His rights were transferred to the San Antonio Brahmas of the UFL after the USFL-XFL merger last spring, but he did not make the Brahmas team and was released.
Samuels spent four seasons in Pittsburgh from 2018-21. A versatile player that lined up at tight end, H-back and returned kicks in college, Samuels mostly served as a backup running backlot the Steelers, slotting behind James Conner on the team’s depth chart.
As a rookie in 2018, he rushed 56 times for 256 yards and caught 26 passes for 199 yards as the primary backup to James Conner. In 2019, after the team drafted Benny Snell, Samuels saw his role reduced to more of a change-of-pace back, with Snell taking over the primary backup duties. Samuels rushed 66 times for 175 yards, caught 47 passes for 305 yards and scored two touchdowns in his second NFL season.
The @Steelers are on the board.
Jaylen Samuels runs in the short pass from @Rudolph2Mason! @JaySam1k
📺: #PITvsCLE on @NFLNetwork | @NFLonFOX | @PrimeVideo
How to watch: https://t.co/I6INVckndX pic.twitter.com/q2ua5cQfZ4— NFL (@NFL) November 15, 2019
The following season, the Steelers added Anthony McFarland in the draft, and Samuels was once again pushed down the depth chart. He appeared in 14 games and made one start, but finished the season with just 28 yards on nine carries and 46 yards on nine receptions.
In 2021, failed to make the team out of training camp, and spent two months on the practices squad without appearing in a game before he was released. Samuels caught on with the Houston Texans practice squad for a three-game stint to finish the season. He signed with the Cardinals for 2023, but was cut in May.
Samuels is the third former Steelers running back to sign in the CFL this offseason, joining Qadree Ollison (BC Lions) and Daijun Edwards (Montreal Alouettes).
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Former Steelers Draft Pick Looking to Make Pro Football Comeback
