4 Steelers who should be benched in Week 14 against Bills

RB Benny Snell

Look, I know there wasn’t a lot of room on the ground for Benny Snell to make plays; I’m not oblivious to the struggles the offensive line has had run blocking this year. But even so, Snell needs to find a way to churn out positive yardage and a few chunk plays every now and then.

Over the past three weeks in which James Conner missed two full games, Snell has combined for just 80 yards on 31 carries (2.5 yards per carry). I know that several of these runs came at the goal line, but even then, Snell failed to punch in a score despite his opportunities over the past two weeks. Against Washington, he had his worst game of the season – earning just 5 yards on 8 carries (0.6 yards per carry) – and he hasn’t earned more than 4.0 yards per carry in a game since Week 1.

The fact of the matter is that Benny Snell is just not a very talented running back, and toughness can only get you so far. Snell lacks any special qualities to his game, while his speed and burst are among the worst in the league at the position (He ran a 4.66 40-yard dash and had a 29.5” vertical). Snell was a hard-nosed runner during his time at Kentucky, but he just doesn’t have enough talent to be great at the NFL level. I know James Conner should be back soon, but Snell should be demoted to the third string.