Steelers Fullback Seems Destined to Make Roster

The Pittsburgh Steelers biggest sleeper is their fullback.

Pittsburgh Steelers fullback Jack Colletto at training camp / Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers most interesting name this summer might not be Justin Fields or Russell Wilson. It's not a star-studded wide receiver or one of the emerging rookies. Instead, it's a fullback, and a player who's making an undeniable case to make the 53-man roster.

Coming into the summer, no one knew how much the Steelers offense would lean on the running game. Everyone assumed that 13-personnel and big sets would be part of the ground and pound attack Pittsburgh was creating under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. But in 2024, if you guessed there would be a heavy dose of fullback, you'd be making a giant assumption.

But you'd be right.

One of the most dominant pieces the Steelers have added to their offensive arsenal is the I-formation. With Najee Harris lined up in the backfield, a new member of the offense is set in front of him. That member is fullback, Jack Colletto, who has made the formation nearly unstoppable at training camp.

"If you’ve got a fullback that can help you and there’s a big picture involved," Smith said. "You don't live in a fullback I-formation, offset, but the advantage you have up. But, guys also have to help at other spots, so that is where you see the big picture coming from up here, the experience, so it's important. We had a very good special teams player in Atlanta in Keith Smith, so that was a valuable member of the roster—he was a core-teamer, and he was a good fullback and gave you the advantage. So, you’re just trying to figure that out. It may be some weeks just like we are talking about multiple tight ends, you might want to have fullback, if it gives you an advantage, but it also has to play into the big picture, and that’s stuff Mike [Tomlin] and Danny [Smith] have to work out as you talk through as a staff."

Colletto brings the versatility Smith and the Steelers are looking for in their fullback. At Oregon, he lost count of all the positions he was playing. And with the Steelers, he said he'd line up in the backfield and take snaps if that's what it took to help this team.

"If you're going to pay me and you want me to play, and you're going to give me a shot to get on the team, I'll do anything," Colletto said about his mindset of playing any position and helping out on special teams and offense.

The relationship between Colletto and Harris has also grown since the evolution of the fullback within the Steelers offense. Colletto said the two have gotten much closer, partially do to the fact that Harris is "fun to block for." On the field, though, fans can watch the relationship develop as Harris jogs back to the huddle, celebrating with Colletto after a long run.

If Colletto has any competition, it comes against the tight ends. The team could keep as many as four with Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward and MyCole Pruitt. If Heyward or Pruitt can play fullback, it makes Colletto's route a bit tougher, but trying to count out the former Oregon State standout is difficult, right now.

The Steelers are bringing the fullback back. In an offense that looks improved, physical and ready to run the rock, Colletto is a sleeper. And if a fullback is going to become a household name anywhere in the NFL, it's the city of Pittsburgh. That name may be Jack Colletto by the end of the season.

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