With spring practices winding down, the rookies are gearing up for work, and for Riley Nowakowski, that means heading home. Home to Wisconsin, where he’ll have plenty of company. That’s where his new Steelers teammates, T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig, train in the offseason. All three are Wisconsin alumni, but now all are Steelers.
As OTAs wind down, Nowakowski talked about what’s next for him as he works to make the Steelers’ 53-man roster. A fifth-round pick, he is working as a fullback and tight end. That’s not exactly parallel to his workout companions, though Watt started out at tight end.
“I’ll be back home in Wisconsin. I train over with Nick [Herbig] and T.J. [Watt] back in Wisconsin, so I’ll be hanging out with them a lot”, Riley Nowakowski said, via the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “It’s awesome. I actually went to school with Nick, I went through college with him, so I obviously worked out with him a lot there. But just getting that opportunity now to train with guys that are such high-caliber, and they’re always pushing each other and pushing everybody around them. It’s just been huge to have those figures in my life to help me out”.
Nowakowski and Herbig spent three years together with the Badgers, albeit on opposite sides of the ball. Watt came before them all, coming out of college in 2017, the Steelers’ first-round selection that year. Both he and Herbig this offseason are now mainstays on the defense, on their third and second contracts, respectively.
In the case of Riley Nowakowski, he’s just trying to make the roster. The tight end room has undergone some change since last year, losing Jonnu Smith and Connor Heyward. Recently, they did sign veteran Robert Tonyan. Though he is an old Aaron Rodgers favorite, however, he shouldn’t be regarded as a lock.
While Nowakowski doesn’t play the same position as Watt and Herbig, he can learn vital tips on how to be a professional. How to train, how to take care of your body, how to fuel. And particularly in Herbig’s case, he can teach the rookie how to watch special teams tape.
No doubt he’ll have already had conversations with the likes of Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, the prominent members of the Steelers’ tight end room. The veterans are largely already out of town, however, while the rookies like Riley Nowakowski are wrapping up the final days of OTAs.
One thing in his favor is new Steelers HC Mike McCarthy’s fondness for the fullback position. Ramon Chinyoung, Pittsburgh’s new RB coach, has basically said that they’ll have a fullback, and, well, Nowakowski is it. If, of course, he proves that he merits a spot on the roster. And working with guys like Watt and Herbig who have already done that can only work in his favor.
Recommended for you