Falcons sign free agent RB Trey Sermon

This could mean that Sermon is expected to miss the 2026 season, but we will not know for sure until the Falcons make that designation official on cut-down day later this month.

The Steelers also released Chuck Clark, CB James Pierre, OG Max Scharping, WR Ke’Shawn Williams, WR Brandon Johnson, DT Domenique Davis and waived CB Beanie Bishop and S Sebastian Castro. The Steelers placed CB Cory Trice on injured reserve with a designation to return.

FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz was the first to report the deal. The former third-round pick worked out with the Steelers on a tryout basis during the team’s rookie minicamp and will now have a chance to earn a spot on the 53-man roster this summer. Sermon ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns on 56 carries last season while averaging an underwhelming 2.8 YPC. Sermon will face an uphill battle to make the Steelers’ roster with Cordarrelle Patterson and free agent signee Kenneth Gainwell presumably set to serve as the RB3 and RB4 behind Kaleb Johnson and Jaylen Warren.

Sermon spent last season with the Colts, rushing for 159 yards and two touchdowns on 56 carries. The former third-rounder averaged a career worst 2.8 YPC last season to go along with a meager 3.6 yards per touch. While he may earn a chance to compete for a roster spot in camp, Sermons has totaled 156 career touches over his four years as a pro. It’s hard to imagine him earning a meaningful role anywhere in 2025.

Sermon did not record a carry in his final game of the year. Sermon joined the Colts early in the 2023 season after being cut by the 49ers and then again by the Eagles. He was quickly promoted to the active roster and made enough of a mark to earn a one-year contract with the team in the offseason. Sermon was called into action in 2024 when Jonathan Taylor suffered an ankle injury in Week 5. He ran 28 times for 67 yards at a dismal 2.4 yards per carry across two starts. Sermon also scored once and caught six passes for 25 yards, all of which came in the first start. By Taylor’s third absence, the Colts had seen enough of Sermon and relegated him to backup duties. Upon Taylor’s return, Sermon retained the backup role but was held to three or fewer touches in all but one game. Sermon will be a free agent in the spring. He should be able to find work as a backup and a special teamer, but it’s hard to imagine a landing spot that keeps him on the fantasy radar in 2025.

Sermon came in to spell Jonathan Taylor after a historic day. He and Tyler Goodson split carries, with Goodson getting four carries for 22 yards in the second half. Taylor came back in to finish the game, but Sermon and Goodson contributed to a 335-yard Colts rushing day. Both are handcuffs, but do not have fantasy relevance unless Taylor gets hurt.

Taylor participated fully in Thursday’s practice and was on the field again on Friday. Taylor practiced every day in some capacity this week and will in all likelihood revert back to his bell cow role in his return against the Texans. Taylor’s return means Trey Sermon goes back to being a deep league stash in fantasy leagues. We could argue the same for Tyler Goodson, who out-produced Sermon in Week 7’s win over the Dolphins.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen said Monday that he was optimistic Taylor would practice this week after missing three games with a severe ankle injury. Fantasy managers can tentatively expect to have Taylor back in Week 8 against the Texans, who allow the league’s seventh lowest rushing success rate. The Colts could ease Taylor back into the fold with a lighter-than-usual workload though.

Sermon and Tyler Goodson played to a snaps standstill in Jonathan Taylor’s latest absence, but Goodson took control of the production this time around, out-touching Sermon 14-9 and out-gaining him 51-49. It was also Goodson who found the end zone. Taylor didn’t seem particularly close to returning this week, so it will probably be Sermon and Goodson forming another Week 8 committee against the Texans. Sermon has sadly lost the FLEX benefit of the doubt even in that setup.

Sermon popped up on the injury report as a DNP on Wednesday but practiced in full by Friday. He will draw his third start of the year with Jonathan Taylor sidelined once again. Sermon has 34 touches for 92 yards and a touchdown across two starts. He is a volume-based RB3 for his upcoming game against the Dolphins.