The Pittsburgh Steelers have made another addition to their 2026 roster. Running back Travis Homer, who spent the last three seasons with the Chicago Bears, signed with Pittsburgh on Monday, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Homer is a former sixth-round pick out of the University of Miami, selected 204th overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2019 NFL Draft.
His value to an NFL roster today rests almost entirely on special teams, not offensive production. The Steelers, rebuilding under new head coach Mike McCarthy following a first-round playoff exit last season, are actively filling roster gaps on all three phases this offseason.
Homer first arrived in Chicago after signing a two-year contract worth up to $4.5 million in March 2023, then re-signed ahead of the 2025 season on a one-year, $2 million deal.
In 2025, Homer appeared in 10 games and logged just one carry for negative two yards. Chicago kept him around twice, not for offensive production, but for his consistent work on coverage units.
His reputation was never built on carries. In Seattle, Homer carved a niche as a dependable coverage player who could also make plays when trick situations called for it.
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Jan 18, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears running back Travis Homer (21) warms up before an NFC Divisional Round game against the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
That 2021 Week 13 game against the San Francisco 49ers was his most memorable. He returned a fake punt 73 yards for a touchdown and earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
Across 85 career games, Homer has logged 36 special teams tackles, building a consistent track record in the role across two franchises over seven professional seasons.
Former Bears and Seahawks RB Travis Homer signed today with the Pittsburgh Steelers, per source. pic.twitter.com/Qud9odWmvX
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 23, 2026
Pittsburgh Loses a Four-Year Special Teams Captain, Leaving a Real Gap to Fill
pittsburgh steelers miles killebrew
Derek Watt #44, Miles Killebrew #28, and Jamir Jones #40 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrate after a returned blocked punt for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium on September 12, 2021 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
Pittsburgh’s coverage unit heads into 2026 without its most reliable anchor.
Miles Killebrew, a two-time Pro Bowl special teamer who served as the Steelers’ captain for four consecutive years, signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on March 13. A knee injury had cut his 2025 season to just five games.
Killebrew’s exit went beyond a roster transaction. He followed former Pittsburgh special teams coordinator Danny Smith to Tampa Bay, reuniting with the coach who shaped much of his career in Pittsburgh.
Danny Crossman, the new Steelers special teams coordinator, now oversees a unit that lost both its captain and its longtime coordinator in the same offseason.
Homer’s seven seasons of coverage experience across two different systems give Pittsburgh a ready option who needs no transition time.
Homer’s Signing Tells You Where Pittsburgh’s Roster-Building Priorities Are Right Now
Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) scrambles in the pocket against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, November 2, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Panthers won the game, 16-13, on a 49-yard field goal as time expired. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) scrambles in the pocket against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, November 2, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Panthers won the game, 16-13, on a 49-yard field goal as time expired.
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
The Steelers’ backfield was already handled in a bigger move earlier this month. Rico Dowdle, a former Carolina Panthers running back who rushed for 1,076 yards in 2025, signed a two-year, $12.25 million deal and joins incumbent starter Jaylen Warren and second-year back Kaleb Johnson.
Homer does not fit into that conversation. His path to the roster runs entirely through Pittsburgh’s coverage unit, where the Steelers continue rebuilding after several notable departures this winter.
Crossman is building his Pittsburgh unit from a different foundation than Smith left behind. A player like Homer, who arrives already knowing the job, is a low-risk addition that fits exactly where Pittsburgh stands in its rebuild right now.