Steelers Special-Teams Signing Puts Former 2025 Third-Round Iowa RB on Notice
Late morning of Monday, March 23rd, 2026, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed former Seahawks and Bears running back, Travis Homer. Homer does not come in to take any carries away from the two-headed backfield of Jaylen Warren, who is under contract through 2027, and Rico Dowdle, who recently signed a two-year contract with Pittsburgh. Dowdle has recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, while Warren put together his best campaign in 2025. The purpose of signing Homer is to bolster a special-teams unit that already reached excellence during the 2025 season. Homer, who is known as one of the better gunners in the NFL, will join Steelers’ Pro-Bowl gunner Ben Skowronek, who is arguably the best in the league. The signing serves to fill the hole lost when former Steelers safety and special-teams player Miles Killebrew signed with the Buccaneers in free agency.
Over a seven-year career, Homer has rushed 90 times for 474 yards and one touchdown, while catching 55 passes for 475 yards and two touchdowns. The only player who Homer poses a threat to their job security is the Steelers' third running back, Kaleb Johnson. Johnson was selected by the Steelers out of Iowa in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The six-foot-one, 223-pound running back looked very promising for Pittsburgh coming out of college, but he rarely saw the field in his rookie season and struggled or made mistakes whenever he did. One mistake came in a week two game against the Seattle Seahawks, where Johnson allowed a kickoff to go through his hands and sit in the back corner of the endzone, resulting in Seattle recovering for a Seahawks touchdown, giving them a 10-point lead with less than a quarter to go. Homer is shorter, lighter, and faster than Johnson and fits in more with the style of running that Warren and Dowdle already do, and his experience as a veteran special-teams player will likely give him the edge over Johnson.
Pittsburgh has gone through many large changes this offseason, both with the coaching staff and player personnel. Danny Smith took his talents to Tampa Bay, allowing the Steelers to hire a new special teams coordinator in Danny Crossman. The Steelers made yet another trade for a big-name, franchise receiver when they acquired Michael Pittman Jr. from the Colts. These changes allow Pittsburgh fans to be optimistic about the 2026 season, while also not having insanely high expectations for the outcomes. Homer serves as a perfect example of this, as Pittsburgh works to quietly build an even stronger special teams unit, which is already led by a pro-bowler in Skowronek and one of the league's best kickers in Chris Boswell. The question remains to be seen if Homer will turn out well, as Skowronek did when he embraced his value on special teams, or if he will turn out to be a failed attempt, such as Gunner Olszewski or Cordarrelle Patterson were when Pittsburgh brought them in.
