Steelers notes: Elijah Riley called upon off practice squad; Connor Heyward on savvy final play
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When Mike Tomlin walked into the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room about a half hour after the conclusion of Saturday night’s win against the Las Vegas Raiders, he had dozens of players he could greet.
The one Tomlin made a bee line to first was … Elijah Riley.
Called up that day from the practice squad and appearing in a game for the Steelers for only the second time, Riley received hugs and back pats from an enthusiastic Tomlin.
“It was cool,” Riley said of getting personal recognition from the coach. “This is a really good team here, a lot of great guys, a great coaching staff, obviously. I am very fortunate, very grateful, just excited that I am here with this group.”
A safety signed after the preseason ended following his release by the New York Jets, Riley has spent the season on the practice squad. Saturday was the third time he was designated as a call-up, but the only other occasion Riley played in a game for the Steelers was nine snaps during the Oct. 16 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Against the Raiders, Riley played 10 snaps on defense and seven on special teams. He was a part of three tackles in the 13-10 victory.
“Man, I’d missed being out there,” Riley said. “Especially getting a win.”
Riley was needed because starting strong safety Terrell Edmunds was sidelined with a hamstring injury. During the game, defensive back Tre Norwood also suffered a hamstring injury and did not return.
Riley (6-foot, 205 pounds) had 13 prior regular-season games of NFL experience with the Philadelphia Eagles and Jets before this season.
“I am praying for a speedy recovery for my teammates that went down,” Riley said, “but at the end of the day, we are still chasing a ‘W’ regardless of who’s out. I was excited to be the next man up and be able to contribute to this win.”
2 savvy plays in 1
What was the smarter decision regarding the final meaningful play of Saturday’s game: The play call for a Connor Heyward jet sweep, or Heyward’s decision to give himself up in the field of play after executing it?
A rookie tight end, Heyward gained 21 yards on the second-and-10 play from the Steelers’ 19 yard-line with 25 seconds left and Las Vegas still holding two timeouts. To ice it, coordinator Matt Canada called for the first rushing attempt of Heyward’s career, and the quick hit seemed to catch the Raiders off guard.
“It felt pretty cool in the moment,” Heyward said Monday. “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a jet sweep in my life, so it was real cool.
“We always rep that in practice, me and (fullback Derek Watt) on jet sweeps and just are always being ready for that, expect it, and you just never know when it’s going to be called.”
A running back for much of his career in college at Michigan State, Heyward has only 10 touches in his NFL career, but he now has the Steelers’ third-longest reception (45 yards during the game against the Bucs) and sixth-longest rush of the season.
Heyward slid near the sideline in lieu of running out of bounds or even trying to gain more yards. It was the smart play to end the game.
“I mean, I just feel like in that situation if you have a little bit of football awareness, you know that’s the right play,” Heyward said. “I could have ran out of bounds or tried to maybe score, but just get down and make sure we keep the ball, possess the ball, then you can kneel the ball and the game is over.”
Allen injury
Special-teamer Marcus Allen was in the locker room with family members Monday, his left arm in a sling. Earlier in the day, photos of Allen posted to his verified Instagram account showed him lying in a hospital bed and appearing to leave the hospital.
Allen suffered what Tomlin described as a biceps injury late in Saturday’s game.