3 young Steelers who should be promoted over unspectacular veterans

Steelers RB Anthony McFarland

At this point, what does it matter if we don’t think that Anthony McFarland is a very good running back? At least we can chalk up his lack of production due to very limited opportunities at this point.

What we do know is that both Benny Snell and Kalen Ballage are well below average — even in terms of backup running backs in the NFL. Snell is averaging 2.8 yards per carry while Ballage is all the way down at 1.7 per rush attempt.

No matter how you spin it, these two backups to Najee Harris are just plain bad. Meanwhile, McFarland has yet to prove anything in the NFL, but I would at least give the speedster the benefit of the doubt that he won’t be as bad as the players ahead of him on the depth chart. Since starting the 2021 season on IR, McFarland has just one rushing attempt on the season.

The Steelers practiced ‘Pony’ sets during training camp this summer and it appeared as if McFarland was headed toward a sizeable role as a change of pace back. Perhaps he’s still not fully healthy, but McFarland needs to be given a shot to see what he can do behind Najee Harris.

There are other young players who deserve ample opportunity to prove their worth, but these three young guys should, by all means, supplant the veterans ahead of them on the depth chart. Doing so could prove to give the Steelers a much-needed boost down the stretch.