Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Sean Spence wasn’t able to make back in 2013 from the serious knee injury that he suffered during the final preseason game of his rookie year, but the young Miami product is currently hard at work preparing for the 2014 season.

This past week, Spence, who was drafted by the Steelers in the third-round of the 2012 NFL Draft, was spotted working out at Bommarito Performance Systems back home in Miami. Spence has trained at the facility for a few years now, so that isn’t a surprise.

On Wednesday of this past week, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert talked to the Pittsburgh media about Spence, who spent the first half of the 2013 season on the Reserve PUP list prior to being placed on injured reserve for a second straight season.

“We had one great day of practice last fall that was very exciting for us and exciting for him,” said Colbert. “Unfortunately, he broke his hand that same day. Maybe it was a blessing. Maybe that small sample he gave us was enough to get to show that he can be fully recovered from this injury. Whether or not he can sustain it through an offseason, a training camp, a preseason and a regular season, we don’t know.”

Spence’s biggest obstacle has been overcoming the peroneal nerve damage that he suffered when he tore the ligaments in his knee. That injury can often lead to condition known as “foot drop”, which is the inability to lift the front part of the foot. In addition, returning to the field after being out of football for two full years is something that very few NFL players have been able to do.

Colbert went on to say that while there is still a possibility that Spence could be in the mix next season, they aren’t ready to say he is over the hump just yet.

“Based on what he showed us with that one day of practice, we are very encouraged with where he is right now,” said Colbert.