Several RBs will try to fill void
Bell’s absence from training camp could create opportunities for others
Now that the Steelers and running back Le’Veon Bell have failed to agree on a long-term contract, the short-term focus shifts to the players who will be at training camp next week.
Bell is expected to sign his tender before the regular season begins, but if he follows the same course as a year ago, he strategically will skip camp and all four preseason games.
A similar approach this summer will give more opportunities to a number of young running backs who will be trying to make strong impressions. This summer could serve as weeks-long auditions for a starting job in 2019 for several of them because Bell is not expected to be on the roster after this year.
The veterans
James Conner: Had his rookie season cut short after a knee injury in Week 14 against the New England Patriots. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry on 32 attempts but never had more than five rushes in any game. Selected in the third round of the 2017 draft, Conner served as Bell’s top backup in 2017, but he’ll have to prove himself all over again after rehabilitating his knee.
Stevan Ridley: Signed to the 53- man roster in December after Conner was injured. He averaged 4.2 yards per carry in 26 attempts in the final two games. Ridley has a much longer resume than Conner, having been a starter in New England, where he rushed for 1,263 yards in the 2012 season. He is 29 and was out of work before the Steelers signed him.
Fitzgerald Toussaint: Signed in 2015 and best known for his costly fumble in the fourth quarter of an AFC wild-card playoff game in Denver, Toussaint split time between the practice squad and active roster in 2017. He had just six rushing attempts for 12 yards a year ago. He’s 28 and will have to fend off younger competition to be on the 53-man roster.
The new faces
Jaylen Samuels: Selected in the fifth round in April, Samuels caught the Steelers eye because of his diverse skill set. Samuels averaged 6.1 yards per carry over the course of his four-year career at N.C. State. He also averaged 65 catches and had more than 500 yards receiving in each of his past three seasons. Steelers coaches used him this spring much in the same way they’ve implemented Bell, lining him up in different spots to take advantage of his versatility.
Jarvion Franklin: Signed as an undrafted free agent after rushing for 4,867 yards in his four years at Western Michigan. Franklin rushed for more than 1,500 yards as a freshman, earning Mid-American Conference offensive player of the year honors and a freshman All-American nod in 2014, but he never matched that banner year. If the Steelers want a big back on their roster, Franklin is the best candidate. He’s 6 feet, 240 pounds, but he has to learn how to better use his size.
James Summers: Signed to a futures contract earlier this year. Averaged 5.4 yards per carry as a senior at East Carolina in 2016. Summers was with the Arizona Cardinals in training camp in 2017 but did not make the 53-man roster.