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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Lew Nichols in a preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 9, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers released running back Lew Nichols in their second wave of cuts on Monday afternoon. Nichols was a preseason star, rushing for 87 yards on 11 carries in three games (7.9 average) and catching five passes for 36 yards.
If he clears waivers, it’s safe to assume the Steelers will try to get Nichols back on their practice squad
Nichols signed with the Steelers on July 29, a week after the start of their training camp.
In the Week 2 preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Nichols had just three carries, but he made them count, bursting free for a 37-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Nichols wanted even more.
“I tried to get to the outside, stay up on my feet, but wish I would’ve just stayed vertical so I could punch it in for a touchdown,” he said.
Nichols also made a tough, diving catch in traffic against the Bucs. Through two games, he had 73 yards to lead the team in rushing and was second only to Roman Wilson in yards from scrimmage.
“I’m definitely having fun,” he said. “Just locked in, not trying to get too high, too low, just stay even keeled, and be ready for that next play. It’s all about your last play, so that’s really where I’m at.”
Nichols did not make his name on being a pass-catcher or a blocker. He’s a pure runner. He led the entire NCAA in rushing with Central Michigan in 2021, and finished his career averaging five yards per carry and a nearly touchdown a game.
He knew, if he was going to get another shot in the NFL, exactly how he had to take advantage of it, by showing that the big-play explosiveness he featured with the Chippewas could translate to the NFL.
“I know to be a valued running back in this league, you need explosive runs,” Nichols said. “And I’ve struggled to show that my last two seasons, dealing with injuries and getting my feet wet. But this time around, just put my trust in the Lord and trust in my coaches and teammates, and just running hard, man. Not trying to think too much about it, really.”
Lew Nichols — Central Michigan Athletics
Last season in the preseason with the Philadelphia Eagles, Nichols got 15 carries. He rushed for just 30 yards. He exceeded that total in his first preseason game with the Steelers, rushing six times for 31 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Nichols, who was on the Eagles’ practice squad when they won the Super Bowl this past February, was originally a seventh-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2023. He was released early in his rookie season after an injury.
He caught on with the Eagles, but it was an on-again, off-again thing. He was signed to the practice squad on Oct. 16, 2023, and spent the rest of the 2023 season on the Philly practice squad. In 2024, he was released on Aug. 27 and spent most of the season on his couch before re-joining the Eagles’ practice squad on Dec. 26. He was cut once again on Dec. 31 before finally being brought back on Jan. 30.
This summer, that axe fell for good, as Nichols was released on July 22. On waivers for the third time in his career, Nichols cleared and with training camps right around the corner, he admitted he wasn’t sure if he’d end up with another shot to prove his worth.
“Honestly, I didn’t know if another opportunity would come,” Nichols said. “I can’t control that, but what I can control is being ready when the opportunity does come. So that’s just something I totally have to understand, first and foremost.”
Nichols credited his family for helping him stay focused on the task at hand, and he kept working and hoping his phone would ring.
“I got a good support system back home,” he said. “My parents, they take care of me. My mom’s been my chef all summer. She’s been my nutritionist, taking care of me and making sure I’m taking care of the little things. So yeah, I really just had to be ready for whatever opportunity comes.”
Alan Saunders provided reporting for this story.
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