The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Miami Dolphins on Monday night but injuries to a pair of running backs leave questions about this week’s matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. James Conner suffered an AC joint injury and Benny Snell Jr. injured his knee.
With a short week to prepare for the Colts, the Steelers might want to bring in some insurance at the running back position, especially since they didn’t give Trey Edmunds a single carry Monday night. That doesn’t even take into consideration Jaylen Samuels is still recovering from knee surgery.
Here are three free-agent running backs the Steelers should consider this week.
Chris Ivory
Ivory is a big, physical back whose style has fallen out of favor somewhat due to a lack of speed. But at 31 years old, he’s more than serviceable and could provide a back to take some of those big hits against a physical Colts defense and keep the feature backs healthy. Ivory rushed for 385 yards in 13 games for the Buffalo Bills last season and has a career 4.3 yards per carry average.
C.J. Anderson
Anderson, like Ivory, is a big, punishing back who thrives on contact. Last season, Anderson saved the Los Angeles Rams as a late addition when Todd Gurley was injured. Anderson is 28 years old, built low to the ground and can carry a heavy workload if needed.
Jay Ajayi
Last up we have Ajayi. He’s a year removed from the ACL injury that cost him almost all of last season, which is why he finds himself out of work. But if he’s healthy – and there’s nothing to indicate he isn’t at this point – he’d be a great addition to the Steelers roster. The youngest guy on our list at 26 years old, Ajayi has a ton of good football left in him if he’s back to full health.
