Despite selecting a running back in each of the past four drafts, the Steelers felt the need to add another to the mix.
Tuesday, as veterans reported for training caps around the league, the team signed former Eagles and Redskins running back Wendell Smallwood to a one-year contract.
Smallwood, 26, was a fifth-round draft pick of the Eagles in 2016 out of West Virginia. He spent the first three seasons of his career with the Eagles before joining the Redskins last season.
In four NFL seasons, Smallwood has rushed for 931 yards on 233 carries, an average of 4.0 yards per attempt. He also has caught 56 passes for 452 yards and scored seven touchdowns, five rushing and two receiving.
Primarily a third-down back for the Eagles, Smallwood's best season came in 2018 when he rushed for 364 yards on 87 attempts while also catching 28 passes for 230 yards.
Last season with the Redskins, Smallwood had 81 yards on 22 carries and caught nine passes for 64 yards. He also had five tackles on special teams last season.
Smallwood also has returned kicks in his career, averaging 25.1 yards on 16 attempts.
He joins a Steelers running backs room that has James Conner entrenched as the starter, but several players vying for spots after that. Jaylen Samuels, Benny Snell and Kerrith Whyte return after serving as the primary backups in 2019, while the team also selected Anthony McFarland in the fourth round of the draft out of Maryland this year.
LOLLEY'S VIEW
This is an interesting pickup. Smallwood is an accomplished third-down back who also has started 12 games in his career. At 5-foot-10, 208 pounds, he's not in the same mold as Conner, but is roughly the same size as both Whyte and McFarland.
But his skillset seems more in tune with Samuels. Only he is a much more accomplished player than Samuels, particularly as a runner.
I would say he is direct competition for Samuels, who didn't show much as a runner in 2019 when given the opportunity to be the No. 1 back when Conner was out.
There has been some speculation that Conner, a cancer survivor, might opt out of playing this season, but that's not the case. He's scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season and wants to maximize his earning potential after an injury-plagued 2019 season.
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