With the Steelers’ 2023 offseason underway following a disappointing season that came up just short of reaching the playoffs, it’s time to begin reloading, through the free agency process, through the draft, and perhaps even through trade.
This is now a young team on the offensive side of the ball, though one getting older on defense. Both sides could stand to be supplemented robustly, including in the trenches—either one. Changes have been made to the coaching staff, even if not all of the desired ones, as the roster continues to renew with the weeks ticking by.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
Topic Statement: A running back that isn’t currently on the roster will make the team.
Explanation: Having parted ways with a 2022 training camp fan favorite in Master Teague III and opting not to re-sign Benny Snell Jr., the Steelers’ running back depth chart is currently looking thin behind Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Even if there may be few snaps to go around behind the top two, you still need a third. That is currently Anthony McFarland Jr., whom they demoted to the practice squad in 2022.
Buy:
Let’s make it clear what we’re talking about here. Harris and Warren are the givens. Most will know that McFarland is still here. There are only two other running backs on the 90-man roster, Jason Huntley (who was with McFarland on the practice squad last year) and Alfonzo Graham, who was signed after a rookie minicamp invite.
While I would never want to dismiss an undrafted player, especially at the running back position, we’re talking about an unremarkable group, even including McFarland, who has had three years to better his status.
And the Steelers have been more aggressive this offseason in pursuing competition and depth. They just recently signed veteran pass rusher Markus Golden. The odds are very, very good that more running backs will be added, including at least one veteran who should move ahead of the other contenders.
Sell:
The only reason McFarland didn’t make the 53-man roster last year is because the Steelers had more depth at other positions that needed to be addressed and Snell was needed more for special teams at the time. McFarland had the best offseason of his career, but it just happened to coincide with the emergence of Warren.
Now is finally the time for him to take on that third running back role. It won’t be much, since the Steelers have a hard enough time finding enough work for both Harris and Warren, but he will be found to be good enough for that job. And because his skill set varies somewhat from the others, there may even be something for him to do every once in a while.
