There aren’t many questions surrounding the Steelers’ approach to the running back position. As a rookie last season, Najee Harris put forth a workload worthy of a Pro Bowl selection and accounted for around 75% of Pittsburgh’s rush attempts, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns. While that may not sound overwhelming, the next closest player, Benny Snell Jr., only accounted for about 8% of the team’s rush attempts and 6% of the team’s rushing yards. Despite the seemingly small contribution, Snell is still the favorite to back up Harris next season, according to The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly. 
The Steeler’s offensive backfield doesn’t have a ton of experience. The oldest running back on their roster, Trey Edmunds, 27-years-old, has never started a game, has 31 career carries, and hasn’t had a carry since November 2019. Every other running back on the roster is 24-years-old or younger. After Kalen Ballage announced he was stepping away from the NFL to coach, Pittsburgh’s roster only holds three running backs who had carries for the Steelers in the 2021 season: Harris, Snell, and Anthony McFarland Jr. After them and Edmunds, the only backs on the roster are two undrafted rookies: Mataeo Durant and Jaylen Warren.
McFarland currently has too small a sample size to depend on. During his two years in the league, McFarland has played in 13 games, carrying the ball 36 times for 116 yards. Last year, he only appeared in two games. He had 3 carries and 3 yards in those two games. Whether it’s health, size, or ability, Snell is clearly the preferred backup option over McFarland right now.
Snell has had more opportunities to showcase his abilities than McFarland. Snell was around for two years before Harris showed up, backing up James Conner. In those two years, Snell got the opportunity to start five games and contribute in many more. Kaboly compiled the stats of Snell’s starts and any game in which he had at least 12 carries, a total of ten games. Omitting an anomalous start against Washington in 2020, Snell averaged 17 carries for 72 yards per game, averaging 4.2 yards per rush in those nine games. In a full 16-game season of those opportunities, Snell would project at 1,150 yards.
Snell’s body of work in previous seasons supports the argument that he can be relied upon as Harris’ relief. But, even if Pittsburgh did want to add another back to the stable, what options do they have? They have the option of having the backup running…