The Steelers like James Conner as a running back. Heck, two years ago, Conner made the Pro Bowl in his first season as a starter.
What the Steelers don't necessarily like is Conner's injury history. In his three NFL seasons, he has missed 11 games, including six full games in 2019. He also missed large portions of three others, totaling just 13 rushing attempts in the team's final eight games.
That doesn't mean the Steelers have necessarily soured on Conner as a player. Two years ago, he had nearly 1,500 total yards from scrimmage and scored 13 touchdowns in 13 games. But they also know they had better have some other options available heading into 2020, perhaps even beyond current backups Jaylen Samuels, Benny Snell and Kerrith Whyte.
"James is a Pro Bowl player who had an injury-type season last year," Kevin Colbert said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters. "We’re confident he will be prepared physically to face that challenge. That won’t be a question. It’s our job to make sure we have options and alternatives and competition. That's what we’ll be working on."
That will likely come in the draft. The Steelers have taken a running back in each of the past three drafts, selecting Conner as a third-round compensatory pick in 2017, Samuels in the fifth round in 2018 and Snell in the fifth round in 2019. Whyte, a seventh-round pick of the Bears last season, was signed midway through the season off Chicago's practice squad.
Samuels, a good receiver out of the backfield, averaged just 2.7 yards per attempt on 66 carries last season. Snell averaged 3.9 yards per carry and had his moments as a runner, but doesn't offer much as a receiver. Whyte is speedy and averaged 5.1 yards per carry, but at 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, is undersized.
The idea of adding a more dynamic all-around back could make that position the team's top pick in this draft. The Steelers don't have a first-round pick after trading that selection to the Dolphins for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
There are five running backs in this draft -- Georgia's D'Andre Swift, Ohio State's J.K. Dobbins, Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor, LSU's Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Cam Akers of Florida State -- who are dynamic as both runners and receivers. It's likely that two or three will be available to the Steelers with their top pick, which comes at No. 49.
They could be added to the mix for the Steelers, who struggled to run the ball throughout the 2019 season, averaging just 90.4 rushing yards per game.
Conner will again be the top back -- at least for this season. He's entering the final year of his rookie contract and the Steelers are hopeful he can carry the load.
But they also want to have better options behind him, at least from the sound of things.
"The challenge for James and the challenge for us is James is always going to come in great physical shape," Colbert said. "That’s never been an issue since his rookie year. His Pro Bowl season, he was able to stay healthy. Last year, he wasn’t. That wasn’t from a lack of preparation or overuse. James got hurt, often times last year, early in the game. What we talked about with him was that this was an acute injury. It happened. We know we’re going to get through it. That’s how we’re looking at this upcoming season."
LOLLEY'S VIEW
None of this is a surprise to regular readers here. I've been saying since the end of the season the Steelers needed to improve their depth at running back and provide a more dynamic second option to Conner who can take over in 2021.
The Steelers could wait and try to grab one at the end of Round 3, but that would be a gamble. It's likely the top five backs will be gone and they'll be picking from the group of Zack Moss, A.J. Dillon and Anthony McFarland, among others. There's a chance some of those guys work out, but it's less likely than it is with the top five guys.
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