There was a time when the running back position was coveted in the NFL. But with the proliferation of the passing offense, the value of the running back position has seen a steady decline.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have four promising backs on the roster but no one looks at this group and sees a feature back among them. And last season, when the quarterback position fell apart, the run game followed.
ESPN ranked every positional unit in the NFL and the have the Steelers checking in at No. 31 among running backs. The only backfield that ranked lower is the Chicago Bears.
Pittsburgh doesn’t have a running back on the roster with a 1,000-yard season and last season no running back rushed for more than 465 yards. This is probably the last chance for Conner to impress and earn a new contract and given the attitude of head coach Mike Tomlin we won’t get much of a look at the rest of the depth chart including Benny Snell Jr., Jaylen Samuels or Anthony McFarland Jr. unless Conner gets hurt again.
