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Former Steelers RB Signs with Vikings
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- Former Steelers RB Signs with Vikings
Steelers RB Xazavian Valladay at training camp, Aug. 17. 2023 - Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Minnesota Vikings announced on Tuesday afternoon that they've signed former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Xazavian Valladay . Valladay briefly played for the Steelers in 2023, signing with the club on Aug. 15 and released on Aug. 29.
Valladay signed with the New York Jets after being released by Pittsburgh, remaining on their practice squad for the majority of the 2023 season.
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On Aug. 27, 2024, Valladay was waived by the Jets and re-signed to the practice squad. He was released on September 11.
On Nov. 6, 2024, Valladay was signed to the New Orleans Saints practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with New Orleans on Jan. 6, 2025. On June 20, Valladay was waived by the Saints.
Valladay was an athletic running back with speed and acceleration that no one other than Anthony McFarland had on the team at the time. However, he came into the process late, only playing with the Steelers for two of their preseason games. The team signed Valladay after an injury to John Lovett prevented Lovett from sticking around on the Steelers roster. Over those two games, Valladay racked up 25 snaps, posting 12 carries for 30 yards over those two games.
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A 6-foot, 200-pound Chicago native, Valladay signed with the Houston Texans in 2023 after going undrafted out of Arizona State. In his one season with the Sun Devils, Valladay played in 10 games, rushing 215 times for 1,192 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and 16 touchdowns. He led the team with 1,481 all-purpose yards. Pittsburgh signed him after the Texans waived him.
Before his one season at ASU, Valladay was one of the best running backs in Wyoming history. He played four seasons with the Cowboys, racking up 3,281 yards and 19 touchdowns, leaving Laramie as the second-leading rusher in program history .
Valladay showed elite speed in the pre-draft process, running a 4.46-second 40-yard dash and posting a 40-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-3 broad jump. His overall Relative Athletic Score came in at a 9.46 out of 10.
When he first signed with the Texans, he was expected to be a player who could be an immediate contributor, drawing comparisons to former star UDFA running back Arian Foster.
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This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Former Steelers RB Signs with Vikings
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