Steelers promote Murphy, put Allen on IR

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Steelers have promoted quarterback/wide receiver Tyler Murphy to the 53-man roster, in apparent anticipation of his serving as backup QB Sunday in Kansas City.

To clear space for Murphy, long-beleaguered cornerback Cortez Allen (knee) was placed on injured reserve, thus ending his 2015 season after playing just in the opener and very much putting his future with the franchise in doubt. Allen's 2014 ended prematurely, as well. For his NFL career, he has started 18 of the team's 56 games.

Murphy, 23, was a quarterback at Boston College before the Steelers signed him as an undrafted free agent this summer. In 2014, he completed 56.9 percent of his 230 passes for 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and he ran almost as often, with 181 carries 1,184 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Highlights from that season:





He entered camp at Latrobe as a wide receiver, where he took almost all of his reps, but that changed in the past week because of Michael Vick's injury, per Todd Haley.

"We're getting him reps," Haley said at his Thursday media session. “Again, we don’t know what the scenario is going to be. That’s where a guy like him is very valuable."

The Murphy promotion also apparently cements that Landry Jones will make his first NFL start Sunday and that Ben Roethlisberger won't play at all, though that was largely obvious after the latter was listed as a limited participant all week through practices. Roethlisberger is eyeing a return the following week against the first-place Bengals.