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Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 Players to watch vs. Chiefs in Preseason Week 2

By Samuel Teets

DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 02: Wide receiver Diontae Johnson #3 of the Toledo Rockets carries the ball against Akron during the first half at Ford Field on December 2, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 02: Wide receiver Diontae Johnson #3 of the Toledo Rockets carries the ball against Akron during the first half at Ford Field on December 2, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 09: Benny Snell #24 of the Pittsburgh Steelers is wrapped up for a tackle by Mike Edwards #34 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Devin White #45 during the first half of a preseason game at Heinz Field on August 9, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 09: Benny Snell #24 of the Pittsburgh Steelers is wrapped up for a tackle by Mike Edwards #34 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Devin White #45 during the first half of a preseason game at Heinz Field on August 9, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Benny Snell Jr., RB

It’s always hard to judge running back performances in the preseason, mostly because they spend a lot of time behind backup offensive linemen. Even so, Benny Snell had plenty of opportunities against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week and he failed to produce anything even moderately exciting.

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He carried the ball 13 times but gained only 26 yards and had a long of five yards. For reference, Trey Edmunds, the running back immediately behind Snell on the depth chart, picked up 19 yards on five carries.

Snell was a value selection in the fourth round of this year’s draft. Overall, the running back class was very weak this year compared to the last few drafts. Snell has been highly productive during his three seasons at Kentucky, posting over 1,000 rushing yards and ten rushing touchdowns every year. With running back depth lacking behind James Conner and Jaylen Samuels, Snell has the chance to be a contributor.

Some people even believed Snell has a chance to win the backup job from Samuels if he came out and performed as he did in college. So much for that. At this point, I’m looking for a couple of solid runs from Snell. He’ll still get a bunch of carries in Week 2, maybe not 13, but he’ll have opportunities. After a lackluster showing in Week 1, look for Snell to show flashes of life against the Chiefs.

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