Things are getting down to the nitty-gritty for the Steelers at running back ahead of their AFC Wild Card playoff matchup against the Broncos this coming Sunday.
Dave Bryan of Steelers Depot reports the team has promoted running back Chad Spann from the practice squad to play against Denver and that it has signed running back Albert Young to replace him on the squad. The move comes after coach Mike Tomlin announced on Tuesday that starting running back Rashard Mendenhall is out for the season with a torn ACL and with the likelihood that backup Mewelde Moore will likely be unable to go with an injured foot as well.
Spann is a rookie out of Northern Illinois. He ran for 1,388 yards and 22 touchdowns with the Huskies in 2010. Young is in his third NFL season out of Iowa. He spent the previous two years seeing limited action with the Vikings but has not played at all in 2011. In his career, he has 82 yards on 25 attempts.