Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — This February, running back Lew Nichols III was a very small part of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX championship.
Nichols was on the Eagles’ practice squad when they went to New Orleans and whipped the Kansas City Chiefs on the game’s biggest stage.
But Nichols’ grasp on a spot with the Eagles was tenuous, and he knew it. Originally a seventh-round pick of the Green Bay Packers out of Central Michigan in 2023, Nichols was released early in his rookie season after an injury.
He caught on with the Eagles, but it was an on-again, off-again thing. He was signed to the practice squad on Oct. 16, 2023, and spent the rest of the 2023 season on the Philly practice squad. In 2024, he was released on Aug. 27 and spent most of the season on his couch before re-joining the Eagles’ practice squad on Dec. 26. He was cut once again on Dec. 31 before finally being brought back on Jan. 30.
This summer, that axe fell for good, as Nichols was released on July 22. On waivers for the third time in his career, Nichols cleared and with training camps right around the corner, he admitted he wasn’t sure if he’d end up with another shot to prove his worth.
“Honestly, I didn’t know if another opportunity would come,” Nichols said. “I can’t control that, but what I can control is being ready when the opportunity does come. So that’s just something I totally have to understand, first and foremost.”
Nichols credited his family for helping him stay focused on the task at hand, and he kept working and hoping his phone would ring.
“I got a good support system back home,” he said. “My parents, they take care of me. My mom’s been my chef all summer. She’s been my nutritionist, taking care of me and making sure I’m taking care of the little things. So yeah, I really just had to be ready for whatever opportunity comes.”
On July 29, a week after the start of their training camp, the Steelers signed Nichols. His first practice with the team? The legendary backs on backers drill at St. Vincent College. Talk about being thrown into the fire.
Nichols did not make his name on being a pass-catcher or a blocker. He’s a pure runner. He led the entire NCAA in rushing with Central Michigan in 2021, and finished his career averaging five yards per carry and a nearly touchdown a game.
He knew, if he was going to get another shot in the NFL, exactly how he had to take advantage of it, by showing that the big-play explosiveness he featured with the Chippewas could translate to the NFL.
“I know to be a valued running back in this league, you need explosive runs,” Nichols said. “And I’ve struggled to show that my last two seasons, dealing with injuries and getting my feet wet. But this time around, just put my trust in the...
