Back in 2008 when the Steelers drafted Rashard Mendenhall with the 23rd overall pick, they were surprised to see him there. Although his draft class included such running backs as Darren McFadden, Jonathan Stewart and Felix Jones, it was still surprising to see him fall as far as he did. Running back wasn’t necessarily a position of the need at the time with Willie Parker coming off a pretty good season in 2007, but broke his leg and the Steelers weren’t exactly sure if he’d be ready for the beginning of the 2008 season. In his rookie campaign Mendenhall broke his shoulder against the Ravens and missed the rest of the season. Injuries are something that have become all too common for the young running back.
In 2010, the Steelers selected Jonathan Dwyer in the sixth round out of Georgia Tech. The Steelers figured he’d fight for a roster spot and become a solid NFL back-up to Mendenhall, who was the starter. He came into camp 20 pounds overweight and had a terrible beginning to his first NFL training camp. After a lot of hard work, Dywer made the final roster cuts and earned a spot on the Steelers’ roster. Dwyer was listed as the fourth running back on the roster behind the veteran Mewelde Moore, Isaac Redman who was also a rookie, and of course Mendenhall.
Mendenhall has his best season as a NFL running back in Dwyer’s rookie season. He rushed for 1,273 yards and 13 touchdowns. That was his second of back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons in his first three years. In 2011, Mendenhall had a good season again and only missed one game while rushing for 928 yards and nine touchdowns. In the final game of the 2011 season he tore his ACL and the Steelers’ weren’t sure when he was going to come back so they had to find his short-term replacement until he was able to play again. They figured that would be Redman, who has had some great games for the Steelers, Redman finished the game against the Brown’s that Mendenhall got hurt in with 92 yards on 19 carries. He was guaranteed the start in their playoff game in Denver. In the playoff game Redman carried 17 times for 121 yards. That performance showed that he could be the starter going into the future with Mendenhall sidelined for an uncertain amount of time.
Dwyer though, could have made a case for himself to at least deserve a chance to split the carries with Redman for the time being. In the one game where Dwyer got extended action he carried the ball 11 times for 107 yards. He had shown the ability to perform at the professional level and do what is needed of a Pittsburgh Steeler running back.
Coming into the 2012 season Mendenhall was on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list and wasn’t expected to be back and able to play until October. So the Steelers went into the season with Redman as their starter, Dwyer as the primary backup, Chris Rainey who they drafted this year in the fifth round, and Baron Batch who was their seventh round pick last year who tore his ACL in camp last year but looked promising.
Redman started the first three games of the season and didn’t do anything special, he only rushed for 72 yards on 32 carries. Then Mendenhall came back against the Philadelphia Eagles and had himself a solid comeback came with 68 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown. The following week both Redman and Mendenhall got hurt against the Titans which opened the door for Jonathan Dwyer.
Dwyer took full advantage of that opportunity Sunday night against the Bengals and their 21st ranked run defense. Seeing the majority of the carries he rushed for 122 yards on 17 carries. He showcased that he is able to be the lead back and take a full workload. This makes the Steelers in a lot less of a rush to get Mendenhall and Redman back to being healthy and ready to play.
In two games where Dwyer got a decent amount of carries he’s rushed for 229 yards on 28 carries. By no means is that enough to say that he is a superstar or anything but it shows that he deserves a shot. Mendenhall has had a good career but he just can’t seem to stay on the field as of late. Dwyer could be a solid option and if he fails the Steelers still have Redman, and a playmaker such as Chris Rainey to back him up.
Dwyer gets another chance this Sunday against the Redskins to prove that he can be the long term starter. Mendenhall and Redman haven’t practiced at all this week and it doesn’t look like either of them will play on Sunday. Another good performance from Dwyer and you have to start wondering if Mendenhall is the long-term answer after this season.
So you have to ask yourself this as a Steeler fan, has the emergence of Dwyer ended Mendenhall’s career in Pittsburgh? All signs point to giving Dwyer a shot and having the Black and Gold move on without Mendenhall. Dwyer has shown the dedication to this team from the beginning of his career, and has put in the work to get a shot as the number one option on the team.
Photo Credits: Joe Sargent/Getty Images
