DETROIT — The Pittsburgh Steelers signed Grant Bowman right off the street last week.

Wall Street, that is.

Bowman was working in global futures in the heart of New York's financial district when he looked at his cell phone and saw he missed a call from the Steelers.

They'd cut him after training camp. Could they really want him back now? For the Super Bowl?

"At first, I thought they were going to try to sign me to send me to NFL Europe," the defensive tackle said this week at Ford Field. "I didn't think they were going to actually bring me in now."

They did. When linebacker Andre Frazier broke his ankle in the AFC championship game, the Steelers promoted Arnold Harrison to the active roster. That left a spot on the practice squad, and it went to Bowman.

"I'm still trying to figure out what's going on, why I'm here or what I did to deserve such a great gift," he said.

Bowman has never played in an NFL game, having spent his only year in the league on the practice squad with the Steelers last season. He won't play in the Super Bowl on Sunday, either, because he is on the practice squad.

The Philadelphia Eagles made a similar move before the Super Bowl last season, signing tight end Jeff Thomason to replace an injured Chad Lewis. Thomason was working as a project manager for a construction company in New Jersey when the Eagles rang.

Even though Thomason was out of the league for two years, he actually got into the game against New England.

Nonetheless, being back in Michigan is enough for Bowman, who played for the Wolverines.

The Tennessee Titans signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2004 but he got cut three days before training camp. Bowman returned home to Ohio, and the Steelers called and invited him to camp.

Bowman was able to hang onto his practice squad spot before getting let go last summer. He hung up the cleats and decided to go into the financial world, using some Michigan friends to make contacts and get interviews in New York.

Bowman started work in mid-December. But his bosses were completely supportive of his two-week break for a little game called the Super Bowl.

"They were fired up," Bowman said. "They were excited for me, they didn't hesitate for a second to let me go. Nobody questioned it, everybody sort of made it happen. I didn't even have to ask. I said, 'The Steelers called me' and they started yelling and screaming. They were really awesome."

Bowman was in Pittsburgh last Tuesday, ready for his first workout in four months. It was slightly difficult to get back into it.

"My legs were cooked after a day of practice," he said. "I hadn't been doing much exercise. By much, I mean none."

His primary job on the practice squad is the same as a college scout team — giving Ben Roethlisberger, Jerome Bettis and the rest of the offense the same looks they can expect to see from Seattle's defense.

On gameday, he'll be on the sidelines, albeit not in his uniform.

"He must have been living his life right," Steelers backup nose tackle Chris Hoke said. "He's on Wall Street, comes back for this week and he gets to go back to work. He worked hard to make this team. It didn't work out for him. But to be able to come back for the Super Bowl, I'm pretty happy for him."

Bowman got Super Bowl tickets for his parents and a few friends. He also sent back a huge box of Steelers shirts, programs and Terrible Towels to his office in New York.

Even though he is living a dream, Bowman is a realist. He has no future in football — only in his job with future sales.

"I enjoyed what I was doing and I'll start doing it again in a week," Bowman said.