The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a quiet offseason in terms of their activity in free agency compared to most other teams in the NFL, but their one signing comes in the form of running back DeAngelo Williams, late of the Carolina Panthers.
In the NFL, it is important to have two good running backs as fresh legs in the backfield can pay dividends for offenses. Williams has been in a dual-threat system nearly his whole career with Jonathan Stewart, but with the Steelers his role will be a lot less with a rising star in the backfield.
The Steelers’ offense was much improved last season, and a large part of that was due to second-year running back Le’Veon Bell. In 2014, Bell was one of the more productive running backs in the NFL with 1,361 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, and a great 4.7 yards per carry average.
In addition to being great running the football, Bell was arguably more valuable as a receiver out of the backfield for Ben Roethlisberger and the passing offense. Bell would total 83 receptions for 854 receiving yards with three receiving touchdowns last season. Only DeMarco Murray of the Dallas Cowboys had more touches than Bell last season, as by signing Williams, the Steelers realize that having a capable backup is important.
Going into the 2015 season, Bell will likely be suspended because of his DUI arrest from before last season started. This was the first time Bell violated the league’s substance=abuse policy, so his suspension can be a maximum of four games. There is also the possibility that it will only be two games as part of the new policy, which is what the Steelers and Bell will be hoping for.
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With Bell missing at least two games to start the season, it could very well be Williams as the starting running back.
Last season was a difficult one for Williams, as due to injuries he was only able to play in six games for the Panthers. In those six games, Williams understandably didn’t perform all that well, as he was likely never 100 percent healthy. In 2014, Williams had a career-low 3.5 yards per carry average and also a career-low 219 rushing yards on the season.
Williams is a long time removed from his career-year in 2008., when he totaled 1,515 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. But he’s still been productive. In every season besides 2014, Williams has averaged more than four yards per carry, which would definitely be enough for the Steelers to fill in a few games for Bell.
Last season, the Steelers literally had their backup running back LeGarrette Blount walk off the field on them, and struggled to give Bell any help afterwards. Over the course of his career, Williams has shown that he can be an above average running back in the NFL. Now that he is over 30 years of age, Williams is on the down side of his career. He can add a veteran presence into the Steelers’ backfield and hopefully alleviate some of Bell’s workload.
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