For hundreds of NFL players, the next several weeks could prove to be the most important time of their NFL careers. In less than a month, teams will be forced to cut their 90-man rosters down to just 53 players and many will be doing everything in their power to showcase their worth. Steelers training camp kicked off with several big positional battles to watch, and things are heating up following their first preseason game.
Many players exploded with outstanding performances in the 2023 preseason opener. These performances -- along with strong practices at training camp -- are helping them pull away from the competition. Here are three Steelers players currently winning their positional battles.
3. Anthony McFarland is winning the Steelers RB3 battle
We know who the top two running backs are going to be in Pittsburgh this year. After that, we all assumed the RB3 job would be up for grabs this year. That no longer appears to be the case. Right now, Anthony McFarland Jr. is running away from the competition and this could be the year he finally carves out a role on offense.
McFarland has been one of the biggest winners for most of Steelers training camp, and we got confirmation of this after a very strong performance in the preseason opener. Against the Buccaneers, McFarland carried the ball 3 times for 18 yards and a touchdown (6.0 yards per carry), per ESPN stats. He also had another long run that was called back due to a holding call.
Right now, it's hard to even tell who is the fourth running back on the team between Greg Bell and Darius Rush. Frankly, neither player is close to sniffing the RB3 role. Perhaps McFarland's biggest competition for usage isn't with another running back at all; it might be with FB/HB Connor Heyward (Heyward has been very impressive all summer).
If the Steelers decide to keep a third running back (and they always do), it's safe to assume that McFarland is firmly in the driver's seat. Things can change over the final two preseason games, but we don't expect them to when it comes to the RB3 role on the Steelers.