The Steelers signed RB Kenneth Gainwell as a free agent, shortly after losing Najee Harris to the Chargers. Not much more than a Veteran Salary Benefit deal, he is clearly a budget-friendly addition, but not the final piece. Barring another significant signing, his addition signals that their focus is on the draft.
Still, there is real potential for Gainwell to have an outsized impact for the Steelers relative to his salary. He hasn’t exactly broken through at the NFL level, but he is a capable player who should fit in. And that’s all he is focused on, eager to meet OC Arthur Smith and get started.
“I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to him yet, but I’m pretty sure I will soon”, Gainwell said of Smith during his introductory press conference with the Steelers. “I know he loves a two-back system. That’s something I’ve been doing the last four years in Philly. I’m well with that, and I’m well with taking on whatever role that comes to. I’ll embrace it”.
The Steelers, Kenneth Gainwell may not realize, already favored a two-back set before Arthur Smith. Not much more before, granted. It was the emergence of Jaylen Warren, who is now the team’s top back, that pushed Mike Tomlin in that direction. On the other hand, had they gotent more out of Harris, perhaps he wouldn’t have felt that way.
And I don’t think anybody should be expecting the Steelers to use Gainwell in a capacity similar to how they’ve operated in the past two years. If anything, he would more likely fill the role still occupied—for now—by Cordarrelle Patterson.
But Gainwell “absolutely” believes there is something the Steelers and Arthur Smith can do for him. He believes, with more opportunities and in their system, he can make more plays in the open field. He has that skill set, but it hasn’t fully translated in the NFL. Not even in Philadelphia, behind one of the top offensive lines in football.
“It was an opportunity, me having more of an opportunity to get out in space and make a move or run more routes”, Gainwell explained about what attracted him to the Steelers. “We love to run the ball here, so to get to run the ball a little bit more, it’s the opportunity”.
The Steelers recorded 533 rushing attempts last season, fourth-most in the NFL, with Gainwell’s Eagles leading the league with 6121. A big part of that was obviously the mobility of QB Jalen Hurts, who had 150 rushing attempts.
Gainwell contributed 75 rushes for the Eagles, including seven against Pittsburgh, and the Steelers have 263 to replace with Najee Harris gone. Surely he will take some of them, but this seems to be setting up for a high rookie draft pick. That was already likely before they signed Gainwell, and it is only more so now.
