The Pittsburgh Steelers are most of the way through the first part of the offseason leading to the draft. Before we get there, we’re going to take stock of how the roster has evolved over the past several weeks. Position by position, we’ll break down who’s coming and going and what’s next, for those rookies and those already here.
Position: Running Back
Total Positional Figure: 4
Offseason Additions: 1
Offseason Deletions: 2
Players Retained:
Najee Harris: The former first-round pick still has a tendency to run hot and cold. However, when he’s on, the Steelers can just wind Harris up and watch him go. He’s not going to get you a ton of 10-yard runs, but he’ll consistently move the pile and make people miss.
Jaylen Warren: Warren totaled over 1,000 yards from scrimmage for the Steelers last season. He rushed for 784 yards and added another 370 receiving yards. Through two seasons, he is averaging more than five yards per rush, and should see a further increased role.
Aaron Shampklin: The Steelers added Shampklin as a Reserve/Future signing at the end of last season. They originally brought him in for a workout but did not sign him at the time, yet he’s here now.
Players Added:
Cordarrelle Patterson: Just after the NFL changed the kickoff rules, the Steelers signed Cordarrelle Patterson. Nearing the end of his career, it’s hard to say how much he has left in the tank. Make no mistake, he’s here to return kicks, but he can also take some snaps out of the backfield if they need him to. New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith already knows what he has in him, having coached him the last three years.
Players Deleted:
Godwin Igwebuike: Picked up during the season last year, Igwebuike became the Steelers’ kick returner. He did a solid enough job in that department, but they showed no interest in retaining him. Now they have Patterson to return kicks, anyway, so that’s a moot point.
Alfonzo Graham: A rookie undrafted free agent, Graham spent the 2023 season on the Reserve/Injured List. They recently released him, just a week ago, and he remains unsigned.
Notes And Draft Outlook:
The Steelers presumably already found their third running back in Cordarrelle Patterson. He’s more than capable of handling that task given what the Steelers tend to ask of it these days. With Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren in the mix, the third running back doesn’t even see the field.
With that in mind, don’t expect the Steelers to draft a running back. They are extremely likely, however, to add multiple running backs as college free agents. At the very least, they’ll add a few as rookie minicamp invites. Right now they only have four running backs, including Aaron Shampklin.
The big question at the position is how much the Steelers run the ball under Arthur Smith. Secondary to that is how they divide the workload between Harris and Warren. Will Warren get more rushing attempts? Will Harris get more work as a receiver? He scored six receiving touchdowns in his first two seasons; it’s not like it’s a weak point of his game.
