Steelers could find a better third running back
In a similar vein, the Steelers have a fine trio of running backs. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren figure to be huge features in this offense. To his credit, Anthony McFarland has made some waves through camp and the preseason. He ran hard and looks like a viable offensive weapon, even if his usage will be limited.
The issue isn’t how he would be used in the offense. Instead, you need to think about the other primary role that a third back has: special teams. Benny Snell made his living there even though his offensive contributions were lackluster. McFarland lacks a natural spot there, and it could make him a tricky player to keep active during this season.
McFarland lacks the size you want to play on any coverage unit. The Steelers have tried him there, and he shows effort there, but it just isn’t a natural fit for a player like McFarland. While he did see some work as a kick returner, he isn’t the best returner. Add in the continual devaluation of the return game and McFarland's limited kick return ability isn’t going to help him much.
While McFarland can stick around as an unconventional third running back, I do struggle to see how he gets active on gamedays given his lack of special teams ability. If the Steelers had a different running back in mind that can contribute there, I wouldn’t be shocked to see them added and McFarland bumped off the team.