5 bold Pittsburgh Steelers training camp predictions in 2020
By Tommy Jaggi
Anthony McFarland will win the primary backup running back role
It’s not very often you see fourth-round picks come in and contribute right away, but I’m going to go ahead and predict that Anthony McFarland will come away with the number two running back role in his hip pocket.
Though he doesn’t have the game experience as the other three running backs on the roster, he has something that none of them have: Blazing top-end speed. Most expect Benny Snell Jr. to receive a majority of the touches on the ground this year outside of James Conner. Unfortunately, Snell underwhelmed as a rookie last season – averaging just 3.9 yards per carry.
Part of the reason for this has to do with his severe lack of speed. Even when the Steelers offensive linemen execute their assignments perfectly, it takes Snell a dog’s age to hit the ground running, and a gain that should go for 20 yards ends up going for 6.
This isn’t going to happen with McFarland. Though he’s not going to be able to break as many arm tackles or power through the middle from time to time like Snell, he will be able to bust out chunk yardage for the Steelers on well-blocked runs. This will prove to be extremely valuable to the team.
Without preseason games this year, Snell may open as the RB2 for Pittsburgh, but I’m predicting that it won’t take long for Pittsburgh to make the switch to McFarland.