Steelers RB Overview: Pittsburgh's Backfield Has One Question
Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers' 90-man roster is constructed, it feels like the appropriate time to start diving into the positional groups, one by one, to dissect it as a whole.
Which players are in line for starting roles? Who are the key backups? Which guys will be fighting for the final spots on the 53-man roster come September? All of those questions will be answered in this series.
Starter: Najee Harris
It's no secret that the former first-round pick got off to a slow start to the 2022 season following a preseason foot injury that seemed to linger into the regular season. However, following the bye week, the Alabama product looked like a different player, one much closer to the one that the Steelers and the fan base expected to see.
Pittsburgh rattled off seven wins in their final nine contests, and Harris's contribution to a strong run game, which averaged 146 yards per game during that span, was a big reason for the turnaround which nearly landed the Steelers in the playoffs.
After the bye week, Harris's yards per carry spiked from 3.4 to a much more respectable figure of 4.1, partially thanks to him looking more decisive in the backfield while also forcing more missed tackles in the process. Upgrades along the offensive line will hopefully help him increase his otherwise lackluster efficiency numbers, and on paper, this looks to be the most talented that he's played with during his NFL career.
With over 300 touches in both of his first two seasons, combined with his insane usage in college while playing for Nick Saban, it will be interesting to see how Harris's body holds up as time moves on.
There's no secret to what the Steelers want to do on offense next season, as everything is almost guaranteed to be predicated on their ability to establish their ground game, with Harris being the main factor in the charge. If Pittsburgh's offense is going to take a leap forward and contend with the high-powered offenses in the AFC, they'll need their workhorse back to be a difference-maker. With how strong he finished the season and the fact that he's healthy as of right now, there's reason for optimism on that front.
Key Backup: Jaylen Warren
For the first time in what feels like forever, the Steelers seemed willing to give more opportunities to their backup running back last season, and Warren's play from training camp, all the way through the regular season, was a big reason why.
As an undrafted free agent, Warren seemed to take the bull by the horns and never looked back, passing up veterans and former draft picks along the way. He proved to be reliable enough in pass pro and as a check-down option for Kenny Pickett, which resulted in him morphing into the Steelers' primary third down tailback.
Warren was efficient with his touches, averaging 4.9 yards per carry, which, admittedly, was a little skewed by some early season appearances in garbage time. However, getting a solid contributor from an undrafted free agent is a great find by the organization, especially considering the amount of resources they typically avoid investing in that pool.
Beyond his individual contributions, it's also intriguing to note what he could potentially do for Najee Harris's career by splitting the workload some and reducing the amount of wear and tear on his counterpart's body which could potentially prolong his career. Barring injury, it would be surprising to see anyone pass him up on the depth chart before the season opener, as Warren figures to be a factor in the Pittsburgh offense once again in 2023.
Fighting for a Spot: Anthony McFarland Jr., Alfonzo Graham, Darius Hagans and Jason Huntley
A fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft, Anthony McFarland Jr. is probably the favorite to win the RB3 job as of right now for a few reasons. He spent last season on the practice squad, appearing sparingly in a couple of games, but he's the only one in this group that the organization actually drafted. In last year's preseason opener, McFarland looked dynamic, bursting off a big run and showing a nice blend of decisiveness and patience. Simply put, he has a different gear than anyone in the Steelers backfield, and he'll need to provide some splash and special teams value to lock down this spot.
Undrafted rookie free agent Alfonzo Graham has been making some noise throughout OTAs. While at Morgan State, he actually lead the MEAC in rushing yards with 1,150 yards on the ground to the tune of 5.9 yards per carry. Graham's story is one of the more unique tales that you'll find around the NFL, as he bounced around to three different schools before finally walking on at Morgan State and becoming one of the most dynamic players in the conference. With some background returning kicks, he has a chance to make some noise come training camp.
At 6-foot, 210 pounds, Darius Hagans is the biggest of the Steelers' previously unheralded running backs, but he also rushed for over 1,000 yards in his final campaign at Virginia State. Hagans ran an impressive 4.48 40-yard dash at the HBCU combine with Steelers general manager Omar Khan in attendance. With the final running back spot seemingly wide open at this point, Hagans is an intriguing name to watch in the coming months.
Then there's Jason Huntley, who is the latest former Eagles player to make his way to the Steel City, reuniting with Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl. Originally a fifth-round pick of the Detroit Lions back in 2020, Huntley played sparingly across his two seasons with Philadelphia, carrying the rock 18 times for a total of 70 yards. He spent a good chunk of last season on the Steelers practice squad and later agreed to a futures contract following the end of the regular season. He already has some familiarity with running backs coach Eddie Faulkner which could potentially work in his favor.
The Steelers typically keep three running backs on the active roster at any given time. There's also a chance that the third running back in the mix isn't currently on the active roster. The running back market dries up pretty quickly in free agency, with veterans often showing a willingness to play for the vet minimum. However, a big reason that Benny Snell locked down this spot in recent seasons was because of his special teams acumen, which is a huge part of the equation for fringe players looking to crack the roster.
As we move through training camp and preseason, it'll be important to keep an eye on which of these players are making an impact in that phase of the game.
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