In a procedural move that enables him to continue working with the organization, Ryan Shazier was placed on the reserve/retired list Tuesday by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Shazier hasn’t played since December 2017 when he sustained a spinal cord injury making a tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals. He has spent the past two seasons on the reserve/physically unable to perform list.
“Ryan’s placement on the Reserve/Retired list serves as a matter of protocol to ensure his continued inclusion within our organization moving forward in his professional career,” Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said in a statement.
Shazier, 27, received an $805,000 salary in 2019 as he continued working toward a comeback. Shazier also assisted the Steelers in scouting and coaching while rehabilitating his injury. He attended practice and traveled to many of the team’s road games while serving as a mentor to first-round draft pick Devin Bush.
Team president Art Rooney II said in January that Shazier’s contract would not toll.
“We’d love to have Ryan back in some capacity,” Rooney said.
In February, Colbert marveled at the progress Shazier had made in his recovery. He watched tapes of Shazier’s workouts then compared to one year ago.
“It was significant improvement,” Colbert said. “We’re never going to take that away from Ryan. We have always told him we’ll never put a ceiling on it. When Ryan becomes healthy enough to play this game, which is his goal, we’ll make that decision and he’ll make that decision at that point, and we’ll respect it either way it goes.”
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