Steelers roster: RB Jaylen Samuels has nothing to offer this team in 2021

The Steelers experimented with Jaylen Samuels in the 2018 NFL Draft, but here’s why he has nothing to offer Pittsburgh in 2021. 

It was a dismal season for Steelers running backs in 2020 – one of the worst in recent memory. Despite a group that was mostly healthy last season, Pittsburgh’s running backs really fell short of meeting expectations. Of course, much of this blame falls on the offensive line, as the unit upfront is responsible for creating holes. However, James Conner and his counterparts were noticeably unspectacular last year.

That should change in 2021. The Steelers used the 24th overall pick in the NFL Draft to select Alabama star, Najee Harris. Pittsburgh has been missing a do-it-all workhorse back since Le’Veon Bell’s final season in 2017, and Harris has the potential to be even better.

With Harris expected to handle a bulk of the work from the gate, other Pittsburgh running backs will be fighting for scraps in 2021. Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland are both early in their rookie contract. Snell offers a big, bruising body who can do some work between the tackles, while McFarland is the only back on the roster with legitimate homerun speed.

So what does this mean for Jaylen Samuels? To be honest, Samuels might be one of the most expendable players on the Steelers roster right now.

Why Jaylen Samuels has nothing to offer the Steelers

Samuels can be described as a running back who can do a little bit of everything but is great at nothing. This description seems to line up with what we’ve witnessed over the past three years. Samuels was a former tight end during his college days at North Carolina State, and he put up great receiving numbers.

However, at 5′ 11 1/2” and 225 pounds, it didn’t come as a surprise to see him make the transition to running back in the NFL. While Samuels is still a decent receiver who is adequate in pass protection, he’s not an effortless runner between the tackles, and he tends to go down on the first contact far too often.

Though he might be a better receiver at this point in time than both Snell and McFarland, he’s still worlds behind rookie Najee Harris in that department. Pittsburgh’s goal will probably be to only have Harris leave the field when he is completely gassed. At that point, McFarland and Snell both offer more as change-of-pace runners.

While Jaylen Samuels still has one year remaining on his rookie deal that he signed in 2018, the Steelers could get out of this contract without blinking if they choose to use this roster spot on another player or position. Knowing that he’s probably going to be the fourth running back on the roster, both Kalen Ballage and Trey Edmunds offer more special teams ability from this role.

Jaylen Samuels isn’t a terrible football player, but he’s been very unspectacular through his first three NFL seasons. He was on the fringe of making the roster in 2020, and that could be the case again in 2021. Samuels just doesn’t have anything special to offer the Steelers moving forward.