Steelers add Feiler, Shabazz to roster
The Pittsburgh Steelers have put CB Senquez Golson and OT Ryan Harris on injured reserve and called up lineman Matt Feiler and Al-Hajj Shabazz from the practice squad.
Golson, who underwent surgery for a Lisfranc foot injury, was optimistic about returning this season, but that was always considered a longshot due to the injury, which often takes at least a year for fully recover.
The surprise was Harris, who suffered a bruised shin after replacing Marcus Gilbert last Sunday. The bruise obviously is more serious than at first assumed.
Of course, both players will be eligible to return from the IR list in six weeks; however, the Steelers can bring back only one such player and that target, at least known to media, is OLB Bud Dupree, who’s recovering from sports hernia surgery.
As for the new players, Feiler (pronounced FY-ler) is a guard-tackle who will be the seventh dressed offensive linemen Sunday. Chris Hubbard will start at right tackle in place of Gilbert. It will be Hubbard’s first career start.
Hubbard’s likely backup is center Maurkice Pouncey, with B.J. Finney serving as the team’s first interior backup. Feiler will be available to play either guard or tackle in case a second reserve is needed.
“He’s a fighter,” said guard Ramon Foster. “He’s one of those guys who’s an underdog type, so him getting his opportunity he wouldn’t take it for granted. If his number’s called he would be ready to go.”
Feiler is a 6-6, 330-pounder out of Bloomsburg (Pa.) University, a Division II school in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
A native of Strasburg, Pa. — located about 45 miles south of Bloomsburg, near Lancaster — Feiler was a three-year starter in college. He was the left guard in 2011 when Bloomsburg set a PSAC record for rushing yardage, and he moved to left tackle for his final two seasons and concluded his career by playing in the East-West Shrine Game.
Undrafted in 2014, Feiler signed with the Houston Texans and spent the season on their practice squad. He was released on Sept. 5, 2015 and was signed to the Steelers practice squad two days later. Feiler has been with the Steelers ever since and has played both guard and tackle in preseason games, although he plays mainly guard with the team.
“That was probably my best preseason,” Feiler said of this past summer, and he agrees that it had much to do with playing for Mike Munchak for a full year.
“Definitely,” Feiler said. “He’s a great coach. He knows what he’s talking about. He’s been through what we’re going through. He can definitely relate to us and that helps everyone out.”
Feiler said he chose Bloomsburg because of the campus, the coaching staff and the style of offense.
“We ran the power-I and it was all downhill running,” he said while obviously relishing the memory. “We were probably a 70 percent run team.”
His greatest collegiate moment?
“Probably when we played Slippery Rock for the PSAC Championship in 2013,” he said. “We were losing and we drove down the field in the last minute or so. We were out of timeouts and everything. That was a proud moment, probably my favorite.”
Shabazz was also schooled in Pennsylvania at West Chester, also in the PSAC. The 6-2, 200-pound cornerback played there from 2011-14 before spending time in the summer of 2015 with the Indianapolis Colts. He was cut and made the practice squad of the Tampa Bay Bucs last season.
Known as “Hodge,” the big cornerback has been with the Steelers since February.