Steelers depth chart: 3 positional battles that could come down to the wire
By Tommy Jaggi
Third-string running back
Kalen Ballage vs Benny Snell vs Jaylen Samuels
Assuming there are no ball-security issues between now and the start of the season, it appears pretty evident that Anthony McFarland is going to be running as the second running back for the Steelers. Based on what we have seen from Matt Canada’s offense and the ‘Pony’ looks so far, there will probably several packages where Najee Harris and McFarland are on the field at the same time.
Outside of these two, it could be anyone’s game. Right now, I would give the edge to Kalen Ballage – who has been the healthiest of the group fighting for RB3 duties. However, Benny Snell and Jaylen Samuels could potentially change that depending on what they do over the next two weeks.
Snell has had a string of bad luck, as injuries have kept him sidelined for the first two preseason games. For a player who isn’t guaranteed to make the roster, this is the last thing he could have hoped for. However, because of his bruising style between the tackles, Snell will have a chance to stick around in the event of an injury to Harris. Samuels offers more as a receiver than Snell but has shown to be very mediocre as a runner in his three years.
If the Steelers only keep three running backs (plus one fullback) this year, then two of the players fighting for positioning won’t make the roster. If they keep four, that means that either Ballage, Snell, or Samuels will get the boot before the season.