PITTSBURGH – What started off as a somber day turned out just fine as former Eastern Illinois wide receiver Micah Rucker landed a spot on the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad on Sunday evening.

Rucker was released on Saturday afternoon as the Steelers trimmed their regular-season roster down to the NFL limit of 53. Rucker had played in each of the Steelers four preseason contests including extended time in Thursday's win over Carolina. Rucker had just one catch during the preseason, that coming during a game winning drive against Carolina. He nearly made another acrobatic catch on a game ending Hail Mary pass in the Steelers loss to Buffalo.

On Sunday evening, Rucker was rewarded for his hard work in camp as the free agent signee was added as one of eight players on the Steelers practice squad. He was joined by Marvin Allen as wide receivers on the practice squad.

The Steelers open the regular season on Sept. 7 hosting the Houston Texans.

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