Steelers 2015 Unsigned Free Agents: RB Ben Tate

The only thing really noteworthy about the Steelers signing of Ben Tate just before the Wild Card Game against the Baltimore Ravens was that the whole week prior to the game, the Steelers expressed intentions of starting rookie running back Josh Harris.

Instead the Steelers went Ben Tate-heavy right off the bat, with Tate taking four out of the first five offensive plays. The move was curious because of the confidence the team and coaching staff expressed in Josh Harris the entire week leading up to the game. Not to mention the fact that the Ravens had quite possibly the most suspect secondary in the playoffs (aside from the Steelers) so the running game really shouldn’t have been the major contributor to the offense anyway.

Nevertheless Ben Tate’s Steelers career was very short. He was signed just for the one game and totaled 19 yards on 5 carries in a 30-17 Steelers loss. Tate will be an unrestricted free agent on March 10^th.

Tate was drafted in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft out by the Houston Texans out of Auburn. Tate spent his rookie season on injured reserve and the rest of his Texans tenure behind Arian Foster. Tate signed with the Cleveland Browns last March but was released midseason after he expressed frustrations on being part of a three-back rotation instead of being the featured running back.

He spent the rest of the 2014 regular season on the roster for the Minnesota Vikings, playing in three games for them.

The reality is that the Steelers need depth behind Le’Veon Bell for many reasons. We all thought the signing of LeGarrette Blount last offseason was a good decision before we knew just how dynamic Bell would be on his own and how douchey Blount would be as well. But, the fact remains that the Steelers would be foolish and irresponsible not to provide adequate depth behind Bell in the running back corps.

That being said, I don’t know if Tate is the answer to that depth question. Sure it was an ok signing at the moment when Bell was out but there’s no reason to think that Tate doesn’t still want to be a featured back somewhere and wouldn’t be happy being a role-player or just in to spell Bell from time to time. There’s no reason the Steelers should set themselves up for another running back to walk out on them again.

I don’t know if Bell’s backup isn’t already in the building with Josh Harris. Possibly with a season under his belt he could go into next season with more confidence and be able to provide the quality reps necessary to spell Bell. No one in their right mind is counting Dri Archer as an actual contributor to the running back corps so the position will still need to be addressed one way or another.

I’d say that the Steelers got what they could for Tate and that’s a wrap. Go after another veteran back in free agency that would embrace the role of backup or find one in the draft. Bell’s a special talent and the Steelers needs to do what’s right to make sure he can keep improving each season.

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Do you think it’s worth it to sign Ben Tate to a longer deal or should the Steelers look elsewhere for running back depth?

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