Steelers put LB Shazier on PUP list

Linebacker Ryan Shazier was placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday, which effectively ended Shazier's chances to play 2018.

Shazier will not count against the team's 90-man offseason roster.

The 25-year-old Shazier sustained a spinal injury against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13 last season and underwent spinal stabilization surgery on Dec. 6.

Shazier made his first public appearance when he was in attendance at Heinz Field for the Steelers game against the New England Patriots on Dec. 17.

Last week, Shazier provided one of the top emotional moments during the opening night of 2018 NFL Draft when he walked across the stage holding the hand of his fiancée, Michelle Rodriguez, to announce the Steelers' first-round pick of Virginia Tech safety Terrell Edmunds.

"That's a huge lift, for not only him, but for us," Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert told the team's official website. "To see where he's come from to where he is and knowing where he might be able to go, it's beyond inspirational. It's just exciting. It's really exciting for him."

Shazier, the Steelers' first-round pick (15th overall) out of Ohio State in 2014, has appeared in 46 career games with 41 starts, totaling 299 tackles (202 solo), seven sacks, seven interceptions, 25 passes defensed and seven forced fumbles.