The Steelers signed running back Stevan Ridley to fill the void left by the injury to James Conner. Conner was having surgery on Tuesday for an MCL injury and was placed on injured reserve.
"Unfortunate for him," said Coach Mike Tomlin. "Liked the trajectory of where he is going and his career was going in 2017. He will get well and continue on with his career."
Ridley was originally drafted by New England in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played his first four seasons in the league with the Patriots, including playing in all 16 games as a rookie. Ridley had his best season in 2012 when he carried the ball 290 times for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also had six catches for 51 yards.
Ridley played four seasons for the Patriots, carrying the ball 649 times for 2,817 yards and 22 touchdowns. He played in five postseason games, scoring three touchdowns. He suffered a torn ACL in 2014, ending his season early.
He played for the New York Jets in 2015, seeing action in eight games, and played in one game for the Atlanta Falcons in 2016 as well.
For his career Ridley has 688 carries for 2,914 yards and 22 touchdowns. He has 27 receptions for 144 yards.
Ridley, who was in training camp and the preseason with the Denver Broncos this year, was signed by the Minnesota Vikings in October, but released when receiver Michael Floyd was activated.
