Stevan Ridley Signs Contract with Steelers; James Conner to IR with Knee Injury

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran running back Stevan Ridley on Tuesday and placed James Conner on injured reserve.

Ridley, 28, last played for the Minnesota Vikings in October. He was also on the Denver Broncos during training camp and the preseason before a September release.  

Conner, 22, will undergo surgery on a knee injury suffered in Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots.

"Unfortunate for him," coach Mike Tomlin said. "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."  

Conner, a third-round pick in April, rushed for 144 yards on 32 carries during his rookie season. He served as the primary backup behind Le'Veon Bell, who has been a three-down workhorse and has given few opportunities for his backup to shine.

Ridley will likely serve in a similar fail-safe role. He set career highs with 290 carries and 1,263 yards with the New England Patriots in 2012 but has seen his trajectory go down ever since. After leaving the Patriots following the 2014 season, Ridley bounced around to seven teams and has carried the ball just 39 times in that span.