Can Ben Tate make an impact for Pittsburgh Steelers?

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell always looked like a legit feature back in his rookie season despite a low yards per carry average, and he proved many people right by emerging as an elite back this season with some excellent and consistent performances both on the ground and through the air. Unfortunately, Bell is expected to miss this week’s bloodbath of a playoff tilt against the rival Baltimore Ravens after hyperextending his knee in a Sunday Night Football win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Today, the Steeler signed Ben Tate, formerly of the Cleveland Browns, to a contract as veteran insurance, making it look increasingly less likely that Bell will be able to suit up against Baltimore. Tate was a very good backup during his time with the Houston Texans and seemed to have a favorable situation on his hands in Cleveland with a familiar face in Kyle Shanahan as his offensive coordinator, but things quickly soured. After putting in two strong games to start the season, Tate’s play slipped significantly, and the Browns dumped him off with two better, younger backs on the roster. He failed to stick with the Minnesota Vikings, as he was cut without so much as a whimper.

After being arguably the top free agent running back in 2014, Tate’s career is in a state of limbo, but a strong cameo appearance in the playoffs for the Steelers could be enough to help the backup right the ship. He proved doubters correct by not showing enough stamina to be a feature back in this league, as his sprightly performances at the beginning of the season for the Browns quickly turned into a string of plodding performances.

He forced seven missed tackles, per Pro Football Focus, and ran for over 120 yards in a lovely Week 2 trampling of the Tennessee Titans suspect run defense, but that was his last hurrah. Since then, he’s averaged more than 3.5 yards per carry in a game once, and that was in a three-carry performance a couple of weeks ago against the New York Jets.

Tate finds himself in a solid position on the Steelers as a temporary veteran piece in the backfield, because he has some talented run blockers in front of him in Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro. For the first time since Matt Schaub‘s heyday, he’s also on a team with a good passing attack, as Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown are clicking. That said, nothing is guaranteed for Tate, who might not even start if Bell is out, as the Steelers could very well give UDFA Josh Harris, who flashed in the preseason, the majority of the carries despite Tate’s experience. Of course, experience reigns supreme in the playoffs, so that’s one advantage Tate has going into his first game with the Steelers.

Despite the fact that Tate has a strong track record as a No. 2 back in this league from his days with the Houston Texans when he forced plenty of missed tackles as the change-of-pace guy, it’s awfully hard to trust him going forward. He’s shown that missed-tackle ability this season, but the production simply hasn’t been there. One of the most damning statements of ineffectiveness is a mid-season release, and he was dropped by two teams.

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Since Tate’s biggest criticism have revolved around his ability to lead a team for an extended period of time it’s possible that he might do well if he’s fresh for the Steelers and not asked to carry the ball frequently. Harris and Dri Archer are both rookie question marks, but both figure to get touches against the Ravens. I’m not sure if Tate will receive the majority of the workload, but he should be healthy and rested enough to give this team 10-15 decent carries if needed.

Again, he started the season strong with three credible performances, including two decent outings against the Steelers, and he hasn’t run for double-digit carries since Week 10; there’s a chance he has something to give to the Steelers. After all, they did work him out before signing him, so they had to like something about what he showed in that workout.

To be safe, the Steelers shouldn’t expect to receive anything out of Ben Tate, and I hope they feel somewhat comfortable with what Harris and Archer could do, because there’s no guarantee that Tate will be able to recapture his once-solid form. There’s no doubt that he has talent and has shown it before, but it’s hard to shake off a poor season and two unceremonious releases. The Ravens defense is as unforgiving as it gets with elite run defenders such as Terrell Suggs and Brandon Williams, and they will also get the fearsome Haloti Ngata back from injury.

As the most experienced man in the Steelers backfield, Tate will have to show the consistency that has been completely absent this season, because if the Steelers can’t count on him, then they have to hope that two unproven rookies are ready to help lead the ground game against an excellent run defense. If they can’t get that to happen, then it will be up to Roethlisberger, Brown, Martavis Bryant, and the rest of the top-notch passing attack to do enough damage against a weak pass defense to make up for the lack of a rushing attack.

A lot is riding on Tate’s ability to make an immediate impact on the Steelers and shake off his poor 2014, and there’s reason to believe he can get back on track. That said, while the signing has the potential to help this team significantly, there’s also a good chance that Tate ends up providing nothing of value. But if he can do well in the Wild Card round, then he could potentially chip in as a No. 2 guy with 2-3 carries here and there, and it could be enough to help restore some of his crumbled stock. He was once a solid back in this league, and the Steelers are hoping that ability trumps the recent struggles.

Next: Where do the Steelers rank among the best in the Super Bowl era?

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