Arguably the most wide-open camp battle this summer is the third running back spot on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ depth chart. With Benny Snell Jr. seemingly gone, the position is wide open. Fighting to claim it are rookies Alfonzo Graham and Darius Hagans, who have each already earned a bit of buzz. There’s also Jason Huntley, who spent last year on the team’s practice squad.
But perhaps the most obvious choice is also the most forgotten. Anthony McFarland Jr. has the most experience of those competitors and RBs Coach Eddie Faulkner spoke highly of him Wednesday.
“He’s somebody that we’re really taking a look at and we already kind of know what it is that he can do,” Faulkner told reporters in audio shared by the Steelers’ PR department. “We’re just trying to feature him in some things. And I think Ant could definitely be in that room.”
Faulkner highlighted McFarland’s “different skill set” compared to Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, two bigger and more powerful runners who aren’t as apt in space the way McFarland’s speed poses a threat.
While it’s a true statement, it’s also one that’s been said about McFarland and past fast Steelers running backs before. For McFarland, or whoever the #3 back will be, to make the team, they’ll have to offer more than just what they can do as a runner.
Still, McFarland has a chance to make the team. To Faulkner’s point, he does bring experience to the Steelers’ running back room. While he didn’t make the initial 53-man roster and barely played in 2022, he came up big in a Week 12 win against the Indianapolis Colts, filling in for the injured Harris and Warren to rush for 30 yards on six carries along with two receptions for 11 yards. Modest numbers, perhaps, but there were a couple of big plays that helped propel the Steelers to victory despite not having their top two runners. It’s experience the others competing against him simply don’t have.
However, there are big obstacles in McFarland’s way. He offers little as a receiver, pass protector, or special teamer. His skill set is limited to that of a runner and even that hasn’t been impressive throughout his NFL career, owning a career 3.5 per carry average with only one run of 20+ yards. His only special teams value has come as a kick returner and that alone won’t be enough to make the team. Pittsburgh tried him as a coverage piece last preseason, attempting to play him as a gunner, but that came without success.
Though there’s plenty of unknowns in rookies like Graham and Hagans, they come with receiving and importantly, special teams value. Graham worked as a gunner in college and can catch the ball while Hagans had 13 career tackles in college. Those more complete resumes could be enough to push McFarland off the roster. Though his focus is just on pure running back-related traits, Faulkner acknowledged there’s a bigger picture in creating the roster and selecting that third back that will come through special teams and coordinator Danny Smith.
“The [overarching] decision being made by the higher-ups would be made based on all of those factors,” Faulkner said.
Of course, the rookies will have to prove they can play at the NFL level and there’ no guarantee their skills translate. This time a year ago, small but speedy RB Mataeo Durant earned more press than Warren. In the end, Warren stuck while Durant fell out of the NFL. McFarland will enter training camp with a leg up and isn’t being counted out by his positional coach.
“I really like what Ant can do and what he’s doing,” Faulkner said.
