With Tuesday’s release of LeGarrette Blount, the Pittsburgh Steelers now are perilously thin in terms of running back depth behind starter Le’Veon Bell. Only rookie Dri Archer and Josh Harris, who was activated from the practice squad yesterday afternoon, are part of the Steelers active roster.
Wednesday’s addition of rookie free agent LaDarius Perkins to the practice squad gives the Steelers another body, but is a long shot to do much else. Considering he’s a rookie coming off the street and will have to try to learn a new playbook in Week 12, that’s probably a fair assumption.
With this in mind, where do the Steelers go from here? Do they simply lean on Bell, and hope he can carry the load without getting hurt? Can they rely on Archer and Harris to be viable replacements if Bell does get injured, or even expect them to play a smaller roles, spelling Bell on occasion in game?
Let’s take a closer look at the situation, and highlight a few possible outside options the Steelers could look at moving forward.
First, Archer’s listed size of 5’8, 173 pounds is being generous, and thus far he’s struggled to find a role in the Steelers offense. Even under the best of circumstances, Archer is much more of a third down back who will catch passes out of the backfield, not line up at tailback and do work between the tackles. In other words, there is simply no way he can fill in even in a limited capacity as a starting RB.
That leaves the Steelers with Harris.
Before yesterday afternoon, few probably even knew who Harris was, and those who did may have known that the undrafted free agent from Wake Forest was best known for claiming that unfounded criticism by coaches at Wake contributed to him not being selected in this year’s draft.
Harris has the size (6’0”, 200) that Archer lacks to handle the pounding of running inside the tackles, and since he has spent the entire season on the practice squad, he knows the playbook. The question becomes can the Steelers rely on a free agent rookie to come in and get the job done? Can he at the very least, be good enough to dress for games and play on a limited basis?
If he is, the Steelers might get away with going this route.
The real question becomes, if Bell does get hurt, and the Steelers believe that Harris is not capable of stepping in as starter, what other options might be out there for the Steelers?
Yesterday I had mentioned the possibility of bringing back former Pitt Panther LaRod Stevens-Howling. Stevens-Howling was signed by the Steelers last season after spending four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. Unfortunately, he was never able to make an impact for the Steelers, as he tore his ACL in the opening game of the 2013 season against the Tennessee Titans.
Though Stevens-Howling is small (5’7, 185) he is tough and can run between the tackles. He also provides flexibility as a player, as he is a solid pass catcher who has also been productive as a kick returner. Bringing in Stevens-Howling could take some of the pressure off of Archer and could be a possible upgrade if the Steelers use him as a third down back.
If healthy, Stevens-Howling might make a lot of sense.
Another option with NFL experience could Tashard Choice.
Choice has played for four teams in his six year career, but had much of his success during his four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, including racking up nearly 500 rushing yards in his rookie season in 2008.
At 29, the 5’10”, 210 pound back last played for the Indianapolis Colts, and might not have much left in the tank. Choice does provide NFL experience however, and much like Stevens-Howling, is an able pass catcher out of the backfield.
Ultimately it looks like the Steelers will hope that Archer and Harris can fill in and that Bell can stay healthy down the stretch. Otherwise they will have some tough decisions to make as the team tries to win the AFC North.
Photo Credit: CBS Sports
