Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 Most important players for the 2019 season

4. James Conner, RB

The importance of the triple threat to the Steelers success on offense can’t be understated. When the offense has a star running back and receiver to go along with Ben Roethlisberger, you can expect big numbers. Especially with the defense not being the same caliber it was during previous Super Bowl runs, the Steelers offense has become even more important.

James Conner took over as the team’s starting running back when Le’Veon Bell sat out last season. He contributed immediately and made the Pro Bowl in his first season as a full-time starter. Conner finished the season with 215 carries, 973 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.

While he didn’t play as large of a role in the receiving game as Bell, Conner still caught 55 passes for 497 yards and a touchdown. His 74.8 rushing yards per game was eighth in the league among running backs with at least 50 carries.

Conner’s health and durability have considerable question marks. Hopefully, he’ll show in 2019 that he can handle a starter’s share of carries and stay healthy. Conner also has fumbling issues. He fumbled four times last season and ended up losing two of those balls. One of those instances came in a Week 1 tie with the Cleveland Browns. Overall, Conner has a lot of potential. He just needs to be more refined, and that will come with time and experience.

During the three games that Conner missed last season, the Steelers went 1-2. Both of Pittsburgh’s losses were by three points and one was in a very winnable game against the Oakland Raiders. Roethlisberger got hurt and missed several possessions in that game, though, and the Steelers offense ground to a halt without the ability to fall back on their star running back.

Conner needs to be available for those types of games this coming season.