Over the past week, the Pittsburgh Steelers have signed two veteran running backs. First, Jonathan Ward inked a deal with the team Tuesday following a rookie minicamp try out. On Thursday, the team brought aboard La’mical Perine after being cut by the Kansas City Chiefs.
What gives? Why add two experienced runners over the span of a week? It might be easy to throw on a tin foil hat and wonder if this has something to do with Najee Harris. I’ve already received a couple questions about it. But the most likely answer is far more boring, though still important.
Depth, and not just regular-season depth. Pittsburgh seems set there with Harris, Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson. We’re talking offseason depth, like 90-man roster depth. Some will call them “camp bodies.” I loathe the term and won’t use it to describe Ward or Perine, but we’re speaking similar language. The Steelers need depth to get through OTAs and minicamp. That’s why they’re adding these guys.
Prior to either signing, Pittsburgh didn’t have much behind their top three runners. There was Reserve/Future contract Aaron Shampklin and UDFA Daijun Edwards. Edwards is an interesting name but neither have an NFL carry. Still, with five running backs, that might seem like enough.
But not all reps are create equally. The Steelers don’t need and don’t want to give a heavy workload to Harris, Warren or Patterson. All three are proven and established, and Pittsburgh must keep them fresh for a long regular season of leaning on their running game.
Last year, Harris was highly managed during training camp. While he led the team with 50 carries last camp, he rarely got the ball during the team’s one “live” run session, their full tackling period when in pads. In 2022, Harris injured his foot early in camp and battled through it throughout the first half of the regular season. Pittsburgh didn’t want to go down that road again, so his carries came in the thud or no-tackling sessions. It’s the same treatment Le’Veon Bell and James Conner got in years when they were known commodities.
Now in his third year, Warren will probably be in a similar boat. There’s little to prove. Perhaps he and Harris need a little extra work as they settle into Arthur Smith’s offense, but the Steelers’ run scheme has been so varied there’s little Smith will call that will be radically different than before. OL Coach Pat Meyer and RB Coach Eddie Faulkner return, keeping continuity there.
Patterson is new to Pittsburgh but a veteran for Arthur Smith and the NFL. He’s also 33 and someone who doesn’t need a heavy workload. The Steelers don’t need to have him injured ahead of Week 1, losing out on their top kick returner in a year where that position is relevant again.
Backs also get dinged up in camp, and the Steelers will be cautious with any injury no matter how minor to Harris or Warren. Last year, nine different running backs had at least one carry in camp. You don’t need to have nine on the roster at all times, players come and go, but the position lends itself to a heavy rotation.
All told, the Steelers need backs to absorb those carries. Ward and Perine provide that with a bit of experience under their belt. But I don’t want to bill them as just camp tackling dummies. Ward has a well-rounded skillset who can play on special teams. Perine has a larger resume as a runner compared to Ward, nearly 300 offensive snaps and almost 100 carries.
For a team like Pittsburgh built to run, depth is needed. If Harris or Warren gets hurt, there needs to be someone behind. Ward nor Perine will replace them 1:1 but they could serve as options for a short-term injury behind an ideally strong offensive line. Whoever becomes the team’s No. 4 running back, likely on the practice squad, isn’t far away from being called up and seeing action.
Pittsburgh always favors competition. It’s healthy to have Perine, Ward, Edwards and Shampklin battle it out. Unlike the No. 2 receiver spot, the fourth-string running back can consist of a group of players with concerns and limitations fighting to emerge from the pack. Whoever offers the most value gets the job. That’s a good plan, and Pittsburgh made sure to stockpile so the group is ready for Latrobe.
