Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Anthony McFarland hasn’t fully fallen off the NFL’s radar. Despite not playing with an NFL club in 2024, the Washington Commanders worked him out among a host of running backs, per insider Aaron Wilson and the league’s transactions sheet.
McFarland’s last roster stint came for a week in August. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins for their final preseason game before being waived at cutdowns. In one appearance, he carried the ball six times for 12 yards.
McFarland was drafted out of Maryland in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft and was an odd fit for the Steelers’ scheme. A team that preferred bigger power backs, McFarland was a speedy one-cut runner who needed a runway to show off his ability.
Unproductive in four seasons with Pittsburgh, McFarland appeared in just 17 career games. Most of his action came as a rookie, carrying the ball 33 times for 133 yards, struggling to break off big runs, and carrying a low yards per carry average. He recorded three rushes in 2021 and six in 2022, where he had the best game of his career, rushing for 30 yards in a win over the Indianapolis Colts in which RBs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren were injured.
Injuries were also a factor, landing on IR in 2021 and 2023. After his practice squad contract expired following the 2023 season, McFarland spent time in the UFL with the San Antonio Brahmas. He flashed in a part-time role there, rushing 40 times for 190 yards and one score. He made impact plays in the playoffs, highlighted by this 69-yard touchdown to beat the St. Louis Battlehawks in the UFL Conference Title game. His team would fall in the Championship game against the Birmingham Stallions.
Besides that one-week stint with the Dolphins, McFarland spent 2024 as a free agent. He joins a list of Commanders’ players with a similar skillset: speedy space backs. Washington could be looking to add depth ahead of the playoffs or collecting a list of names to sign Reserve/Future contracts after their season comes to a close.
