Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris has already gone on record as saying if he needs to touch the football 500 times for this team to win, he’s fine with that. Last season Harris had 307 rushes for 1,200 rushing yards.
By comparison, the second-leading rusher on the team in 2021 was running back Benny Snell Jr. He rushed for a paltry 98 yards on a meager 36 carries. No team in the league had such a massive disparity between one and two on the rushing list.
The question is, will that change this season? And even if it doesn’t, who will be the second-best rusher on the team. As I see it, it really comes down to three guys. Once again Snell is in line to be Harris’ primary backup despite showing nothing in his career to warrant the position.
Behind him is Anthony McFarland Jr. A speedy back who comes from Matt Canada’s system at the University of Maryland but has been a flop so far in the NFL.
The sleeper of this group is quarterback Mitch Trubisky. In 2018, Trubisky rushed for 421 yards for the Chicago Bears and never had fewer than 193 yards in four seasons. Canada’s offense is built around RPOs and Trubisky’s athleticism might make him an excellent dual-threat weapon.
Cast your vote and tell us who you think will be the team’s second-leading rusher in 2022. And if you don’t think it is one of those three, let us know in the comments who you are picking.
