PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are working their way through the first portion of the offseason programs, welcoming a group of rookies to minicamp to begin working with the team. Some players already have contracts, while others were to tryout. That included an NFL veteran who once thought he was going to end up in Pittsburgh, and now gets a shot to make the team this summer.

Former Oklahoma and Ohio State star running back Trey Sermon was maybe the biggest name on the Steelers Rookie Minicamp roster. The four-year NFL veteran is looking to earn his place on a roster this season after spending last year with the Indianapolis Colts.

Sermon has played in 45 games throughout his NFL career. The 2021 third-round pick for the San Francisco 49ers has accumulated 505 yards and three touchdowns, mostly being a special teamer on the 49ers, Colts and Philadelphia Eagles.

Now, he’s with the Steelers, who he once thought were going to draft him back in 2021.

“I talked to them throughout the whole process quite a bit and met with them at the combine,” Sermon said at Rookie Minicamp. “I definitely thought they were going to draft me.”

The Steelers backfield is deep but could be adjusted. Jaylen Warren returned on a one-year tender and is set to take on the starting role. The team moved on from Najee Harris but replaced him with third-round pick Kaleb Johnson out of Iowa. They also added former Philadelphia Eagle Kenneth Gainwell in free agency and have Cordarrelle Patterson still on the roster.

After signing a one-year deal, the Steelers are looking to see more out of Sermon before deciding what their backfield looks like. With interest in Sermon coming out of Ohio State, the team could be bringing in a player they’ve been waiting on since he entered the NFL.