PITTSBURGH — The decision to move on from James Conner should come as no surprise. It's all part of an incremental plan to fix one of the NFL's worst running games.
Since the end of the 2020 season, after they ranked last in the league in rushing yards (1,351) and yards per carry (3.6), the Steelers set about to overhaul all aspects of their running game.
It started when they decided not to renew the contracts of offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner and offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett. It continued when they promoted quarterbacks coach Matt Canada to change the offense and put Adrian Klemm in charge of changing the scheme and technique used by the offensive line.
The last step was changing the personnel, and it started with Conner, a three-year starter whose contract expired after the season. It will end on draft day. The Steelers appear to be content with Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland Jr. as backups, possibly even Kalen Ballage, who was signed in free agency. But they want a more dynamic feature back, a player who can put back in the offense a dimension that has been missing since the departure of Le'Veon Bell. They will do that in the draft, most likely in the first round, no later than the second.
Keeping Conner was not part of the plan. They were not going to give him a new contract with an amount befitting a three-year starter. And why would Conner want to stick around to be a backup on a team where he has been the starter since 2018? That's why he signed with the Arizona Cardinals, where he is reunited with running backs coach James Saxon.
The Steelers want to fix every aspect of their running game. They are not interested in merely trying to tweak it or make a commitment to run the ball better — words we have heard them use the past couple years. Basically, the plan has been to hit the detonate button and start again.
The decision to let Conner go elsewhere was just another step.
Little intriguing
One of the most intriguing left tackles in the draft is Stanford's Walker Little, whose measurables are attracting attention as a first-round pick but could slip to the second round because of inactivity.
At 6-foot-7, 309 pounds, Little is anything but. But he has also put little on tape the past two seasons at Stanford, making him a bit of a gamble in the first round of the draft.
Little has played just one game since the start of the 2019 season. After becoming the first true freshman in 19 years to start at left tackle at Stanford, he injured his knee in the first game of his junior year and missed the rest of the season. Last year, Little elected to opt out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19 concerns.
Nonetheless, NFL scouts are attracted by his height, length, range and footwork, allowing him to control edge rushers on the perimeter. He is considered a better pass protector than run blocker, but his athleticism and mobility would make him a great second-round pick — should he drop out of the first round — for a team searching for left tackles. Like the Steelers.
Switzer strong
Former Steelers receiver Ryan Switzer has used social media to update all concerned about the health of his 9-month-old son, Christian, who was hospitalized because of bleeding and a positive COVID-19 test.
But with the help of Terence Dermody, chief physician at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Switzer was able to have his son accurately diagnosed and treated in Boston for what doctors referred to as a "vascular anomaly" in his gastrointestinal tract.
Switzer posted a video on his Instagram account to thank people for their support, including Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert. Switzer signed with the Cleveland Browns after he was released by the Steelers in September.
"The fact he took as much interest in the health of my son as he did, I'm very thankful for Kevin Colbert and the support he gave my family during this time," Switzer said.
Switzer also thanked Steelers investor and billionaire businessman Thomas Tull for flying his family to Boston in a private jet for Christian's surgery.
"He's a good-hearted young man," Tull said. "I'm grateful it worked out for him and his family."
