Steelers To Play Musical Chairs With Running Backs

espn.com

With their second round pick this year the Steelers drafted Running Back Le’Veon Bell. He is a larger running back (6’1, 230 pounds) but is pretty quick on his feet and could be good in goal line situations. With that said I do not think that is all he will be used for. The fact is Pittsburgh finished the year 26^th in their run game and if they want a shot at anything post regular season they will need to get a more physical back to add depth on a shaky offensive roster.

Bell ran for a total of 3,346 career yards at Michigan, 1,793 of them coming in 2012 alone, setting a school record. Bell has a lot of promising qualities and is almost sure to get some chances during his rookie season. This begs the question though of whose spot would he be taking if it came down to it?

Jonathan Dwyer is a fast running back who does not dance a lot in the back field-a tendency Rashard Mendenhall tended to enjoy, driving Steelers fans insane. He totaled 623 yards last year and averaged 4.0 yards per carry. I personally have always been a fan of Dwyer. I think he is a physical player and I always like how he isn’t afraid on the run. The biggest issues facing Dwyer are concerns of his health and weight issues. Also, he is a more attractive option in terms of trades, and rumor has it the Steelers are shopping him around.

Isaac Redman ran last year for 479 yard, with an average of 3.7 yards per carry. Redman is another player riddled with injuries. He was more impressive on limited receptions out of the back field, with 12.8 yards a carry. Redman is a player with a tendency to be a bit inconsistent, which could hurt him in the long run. It makes owners cautious to make him a feature back, given the fact that they do not know how he will perform on any given day.

If I personally had to choose, I would keep Dwyer. I thought he did a better job over all last year in terms of yards. I think both options are dangerous in terms of injury but maybe adding Bell into the mix will cause them to step their games up. I know Dwyer has said he has worked on his speed in the off season  always a good sign when a player wants to improve their game.

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