When the Pittsburgh Steelers take the field against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday they will be bringing their two-headed running back attack. No, not the two running backs you are thinking of. With Jaylen Samuels sidelined for what could be a month, rookie Benny Snell Jr. jumps up the depth chart and will be the primary backup for James Conner.
So far, Snell has had very little impact in his rookie campaign. This was despite rushing for 3,873 yards and 48 rushing touchdowns in three seasons at the University of Kentucky.
Snell is a very different type of running back and Samuels and is much more similar to Conner’s physical style. This could be a perfect week for Pittsburgh to line up and wear down the Chargers defense by just battering them with a one-two punch of Conner and Snell.
But the big downside to having Snell over Samuels is losing Samuel’s ability to impact the passing game. This means more pressure on Conner to catch the football and perhaps a larger role for the tight end.
