Steelers regroup after injuries | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Pittsburgh • Mike Tomlin stressed to Jonathan Dwyer when the coach cut the Pittsburgh Steelers running back 10 days ago that the decision to release the team's leading rusher in 2012 was not a personal one.

"We kept the guys that we kept because of the things they did, not because of the things Jonathan didn't do," Tomlin said.

No hard feelings, apparently.

Dwyer practically sprinted to the team's practice facility after the Steelers re-signed him on Monday. A day before, the Steelers lost LaRod Stephens-Howling for the season due to a knee injury. While allowing it may take Dwyer a day or two to get back up to speed, Tomlin didn't rule out Dwyer playing a significant role when Pittsburgh (0-1) travels to Cincinnati (0-1) next Monday night.

"I don't anticipate that being a major problem," Tomlin said, "but we'll play it by ear and see how he looks on the practice field and in the classroom."

Dwyer's presence couldn't hurt after the Steelers managed just 32 yards on 15 carries in an uninspired 16-9 loss to Tennessee last week. Isaac Redman lost two fumbles and ran for just nine yards on eight carries while Felix Jones — who surprisingly beat out Dwyer for the final roster spot — spent most of the day on the sidelines.