2020 RB Room

[ATL96Steeler]

Terry brought up a point that has been a hot button topic in Steeler Nation.

The Running Backs

As of now we can expect the following to come out of camp (assuming health of course)

• James Conner
• Benny Snell, Jr
• Anthony McFarland

Mike Tomlin On Benny Snell Jr. In 2020: 'Reasonable To Expect Him To Just Continue To Take Off' - Steelers Depot

Currently on the roster...likely to be on the 53

• Jalen Samuels

Maybe on the 53

• Kerrith Whyte
• Trey Edmunds

Based on the link, it certainly looks like Snell is a lock...and I'm starting to get the sense he's the reason McFarland (a smaller change of pace) was drafted...they feel pretty comfortable with Snell being the "big" back should Conner go down.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I wouldn't be surprised to see McFarland out-snap Snell by midseason, or if not outright take the RB2 job. But for now, RB2 is Snell's to lose. I feel confident in Snell when Conner goes down to injury again, but right now I sorta view him as a player with a ceiling. But he can feel free to change my mind!

Samuels has the edge on RB4 since he has position versatility. Whyte & Edmunds would have to carve out roles on ST to make a better case.

The future looks like Snell & McFarland. I don't think they are going to be interested in giving Conner anything more than a mid-tier 2-3 year deal unless he lights the league up this year.

 

[Bridgeburner]

Medicore room. Which with Ben behind center, that's probably good enough as long as they don't need to lean on the run game too long. Conner has the talent to be an RB1 though so maybe he stays healthy and surprises. The rest of the roster IMHO are JAGS. Dime a dozen guys. McFarland intrigues me though. His tape is so-so. 2018 was better than 2019. But the talent is there. Would need to add a few pounds to carry any sort of load though.

Not a Snell, Samuels, Edmunds, or Whyte fan. Which means one of them will run for 1500 this year.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I wouldn't be surprised to see McFarland out-snap Snell by midseason, or if not outright take the RB2 job. But for now, RB2 is Snell's to lose. I feel confident in Snell when Conner goes down to injury again, but right now I sorta view him as a player with a ceiling. But he can feel free to change my mind!

Samuels has the edge on RB4 since he has position versatility. Whyte & Edmunds would have to carve out roles on ST to make a better case.

The future looks like Snell & McFarland. I don't think they are going to be interested in giving Conner anything more than a mid-tier 2-3 year deal unless he lights the league up this year.

Agreed...I don't see Conner getting a big deal anywhere with his injury history but he is worthy of a mid level deal should he finish this season in good health. I think he will take that kind of deal from PIT before any other team.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Medicore room. Which with Ben behind center, that's probably good enough as long as they don't need to lean on the run game too long. Conner has the talent to be an RB1 though so maybe he stays healthy and surprises. The rest of the roster IMHO are JAGS. Dime a dozen guys. McFarland intrigues me though. His tape is so-so. 2018 was better than 2019. But the talent is there. Would need to add a few pounds to carry any sort of load though.

Not a Snell, Samuels, Edmunds, or Whyte fan. Which means one of them will run for 1500 this year.

BB you've been consistent with your thoughts on this room.

I think your first sentence holds water...ideally they should not need a bell cow RB. Which was why I was against a higher pick as the position this year.

I liked Whyte's presence as a quicker hitting player but he didn't get enough touches for me to say stay or go...the staff has to think McFarland brings something. If he's better Whyte...I really see him as the RB2 before the season is over...much like @FaCe-LeE-uS .

Samuels doesn't wow you, but he's productive and versatile.

I'm with you on Snell...if Conner is not back next year...I expect a RB higher than the 4th next yr.

 

[Yo Tee]

I'm fine with a Running Back by Committee system as long as it works. If it doesn't work, I don't want it. I think that's understandable. But, let's face it, Conner can't stay healthy. Hasn't been able to since 2015 in college. We can't put all of our eggs in his basket anymore. We need to develop Snell, Samuels, McFarland, whoever the #2 is going to be. We need to have a RB 1.1 and an RB 1.2 in the inevitable case that Conner goes down. I liked what I saw from Snell and Samuels last year. I don't have any opinions on McFarland other than I don't think we needed to take a RB but that's neither here nor there. Can't be any worse than the situation we were in last year with getting guys off the PS.

Conner, Snell, McFarland, and Samuels on the 53, I'm comfortable with that. I think a RB by Committee can work with our offense. It would keep opposing defenses on their toes and might even trick defenses and breaking off long plays.

The other thing to keep in mind, Samuels wasn't a RB in college. He was a TE at NC State. He can still be utilized in that spot even if it is to throw off defenses. Now, with the signing of Ebron and a healthy Vance, that type of formation might see a slim portion of possession time, but it would be neat to throw that into some gameplan the same way we threw in the Wildcat formation with Samuels last year. So he might get a roster spot due to his versatility. 26 receptions his rookie year, 47 last year with an 85% catch rate gives me some confidence in Samuels' future in the passing game. Watt and Samuels are about the same size (Watt 6'2, 236; Samuels 6'0, 225) line them both up in the backfield to throw some defenses off? Maybe.

With ALL this said, in my opinion, the decisions made on the backfield for the final 53 will give me a sense of how the FO is feeling about Conner. If we get Conner, Snell and McFarland, that tells me that they feel pretty confident that Conner can stay healthy and get the job done all season long, which is the wrong move in my opinion.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I'm fine with a Running Back by Committee system as long as it works. If it doesn't work, I don't want it. I think that's understandable. But, let's face it, Conner can't stay healthy. Hasn't been able to since 2015 in college. We can't put all of our eggs in his basket anymore. We need to develop Snell, Samuels, McFarland, whoever the #2 is going to be. We need to have a RB 1.1 and an RB 1.2 in the inevitable case that Conner goes down. I liked what I saw from Snell and Samuels last year. I don't have any opinions on McFarland other than I don't think we needed to take a RB but that's neither here nor there. Can't be any worse than the situation we were in last year with getting guys off the PS.

Conner, Snell, McFarland, and Samuels on the 53, I'm comfortable with that. I think a RB by Committee can work with our offense. It would keep opposing defenses on their toes and might even trick defenses and breaking off long plays.

The other thing to keep in mind, Samuels wasn't a RB in college. He was a TE at NC State. He can still be utilized in that spot even if it is to throw off defenses. Now, with the signing of Ebron and a healthy Vance, that type of formation might see a slim portion of possession time, but it would be neat to throw that into some gameplan the same way we threw in the Wildcat formation with Samuels last year. So he might get a roster spot due to his versatility. 26 receptions his rookie year, 47 last year with an 85% catch rate gives me some confidence in Samuels' future in the passing game. Watt and Samuels are about the same size (Watt 6'2, 236; Samuels 6'0, 225) line them both up in the backfield to throw some defenses off? Maybe.

With ALL this said, in my opinion, the decisions made on the backfield for the final 53 will give me a sense of how the FO is feeling about Conner. If we get Conner, Snell and McFarland, that tells me that they feel pretty confident that Conner can stay healthy and get the job done all season long, which is the wrong move in my opinion.

You didn't think a RB needed to be drafted.

In another sentence you say we can't put all the eggs into Conner's basket due to his injury history which...imo no one would disagree with that.

So...this tells me you felt pretty good about the top 3 RBs after Conner. Snell, Samuels, and Whyte. I think you have maybe a 50/50 opinion on all 3 of them across the fan base. All have shown glimpses, but none really have shown they are ready to take the lead dawg position that Connor has.

McFarland may not be that guy either, but I think they like Whyte's skillset and they see that in McFarland with more upside.

I'm curious to see how they will work Conner, Snell and McFarland into the snap count.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I'm curious to see how they will work Conner, Snell and McFarland into the snap count.

Early on I think Snell gets 10-15 carries a game with McFarland acting as a spark-plug at ~5 carries. Once McFarland shows his abilities then I think it will force them to increase his snap count. Not just because of getting him the ball, but also because they will need to disguise his workload better.

I think they will be pushing Snell into a bigger workload to supplement Conner.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Early on I think Snell gets 10-15 carries a game with McFarland acting as a spark-plug at ~5 carries. Once McFarland shows his abilities then I think it will force them to increase his snap count. Not just because of getting him the ball, but also because they will need to disguise his workload better.

I think they will be pushing Snell into a bigger workload to supplement Conner.

They have shown some confidence in Snell so I do think they will look at him more with a week to week role. Conner averaged roughly 22 touches a game in '18...17 rushing and about 5 targets in the passing game. I don't think they will try to push him any more than that.

I do agree McFarland will start out with a lighter load, but once they know what his pass/pro is going to look like we will know better what kind of snaps he's going to get.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Samuels lookin tuned up this offseason

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Thoughts to ponder...

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Steelers sign Smallwood

Not sure what to make of this. Competition for RB4 is heating up?

@ATL96Steeler @SteelersPride

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Snell lookin noticeably slimmer

 

[Bridgeburner]

People are right when they say he has no burst lol. I've always thought that his vision and contact balance were underrated though. Overcoming a lack of burst and suddenness is usually a tall order for guys looking to find a place at the top of a depth chart though.

 

[Bridgeburner]

Steelers sign Smallwood

Not sure what to make of this. Competition for RB4 is heating up?

@ATL96Steeler @SteelersPride

Camp body? Can't see it being more than that really. Maybe they're worried about Conner opting out?

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

People are right when they say he has no burst lol. I've always thought that his vision and contact balance were underrated though. Overcoming a lack of burst and suddenness is usually a tall order for guys looking to find a place at the top of a depth chart though.

I think his lack of burst is more mental than anything. His college film has better burst. I think we'll see it better this year now that he has more confidence.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Camp body? Can't see it being more than that really. Maybe they're worried about Conner opting out?

Quite possible. Didn't think they needed competition at the position, but with all the opting out going on it probably got them worried.

 

[Bridgeburner]

I think his lack of burst is more mental than anything. His college film has better burst. I think we'll see it better this year now that he has more confidence.

If his burst and speed is better than advertised (or improves) then we might have a better player than we realize.