Teresa Varley

The Steelers signed fullback Riley Nowakowski, the team's fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, to a four-year contract. Nowakowski, who played at Indiana, was selected with the 169th overall pick.

"Super excited about the young man, just a quality person," said running backs coach Ramon Chinyoung Sr. "His game speaks for itself, the versatility, the ability to play multiple positions. The strain at the line of scrimmage. He's shown the ability to play in-line as well. Does a great job catching the ball out of the backfield."

He appeared in 16 games in 2025, finishing with 32 receptions for 387 yards out of the backfield and two touchdowns. He also had two carries, for two yards, both touchdowns.

"I've been used almost everywhere," said Nowakowski. "I played fullback, I played inline tight end, did a lot of H-back work too. I've done a little bit of everything, and I think that is extremely helpful because I feel comfortable in any position.

"I would say I'm a physical, relentless, just blue collar, gritty guy. I just like to show up to work and get things done. I don't really like to do anything too special. I'm not big on flair or anything. I probably won't have any cool touchdown celebrations. But I'm going to go in there and I'm going to give everything I've got every day. "

He transferred to Indiana from Wisconsin for his final season, where he had a standout year.

"He's shown on tape that he has an ability to navigate through the backfield," said Chinyoung. "But the young man plays with grit. At the end of the day, it's all about will. You've got to be willing to go hunt.

"He's done a lot of great things on tape. He's growing as a backfield blocker. I can't wait to get to work with him."