Twenty-three slots went by before the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Najee Harris in 2021. Franco Harris was a fullback, as was Merril Hoge and John Henry Johnson. The Pittsburgh Steelers are loaded with high-end fantasy talent, and Mike Tomlin's team has been producing every week.The Steelers have scored 30 or more points in six straight games, and they are in a position to earn a spot in the AFC playoffs if they can win their final two games of the season.It's all lining up to be a happy holiday season in Pittsburgh because they close the year with . To prepare, we at Chargers Wire are previewing players from every position. Player Team Age Total Value Avg./Year Total Guaranteed Fully Guaranteed Free Agency; Christian McCaffrey: 49ers: 27: $64,063,412: $16,015,853: $36,346,412: $30,062,500 But from 2010-17, Forte averaged 1,419 yards from scrimmage per season. Jerome Bettis is the latest Steelers running back to become a member in Canton, Ohio. If he had played in those games, Bell is easily in the top five on this list and maybe close to the top. He was Le'Veon Bell when Bell was at Michigan State. Walter Abercrombie: To this day, Abercrombie is Baylor Universitys all-time leading rusher with 3,674 yards while scoring 22 touchdowns. In the previous nine years, however, the Steelers had a top-15 player seven times. In an era that de-emphasizes the workhorse back, McCoy has nearly amassed 10,000 rushing yards and more than 13,000 yards from scrimmage this decade. He seemed to violate every rule young players are taught about playing running back, yet he thrived. Everything in the NFL goes in cycles. His professional career started in 2007 when he decided to skip the last year of college and enter the NFL Draft. Foster timed his career perfectly for this list, breaking out with 1,616 yards, leading the league in rushing, in 2010. That changed over the last decade or so, due to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's emergence as an elite . Running backs are not the commodities they once were. He also posted many of his best seasons in the previous decade, which robbed him of a chance at the top 10 on this list. Cameron Heyward (2011), T.J. Watt (2017), Terrell Edmunds (2018), Devin Bush Jr. (2019), and Najee Harris (2022) are the five remaining first-rounders still on the Steelers roster. During recent years, he's become somewhat forgotten in Buffalo, but McCoy has both All-Pro seasons and multiple 1,000-yard campaigns to his credit this decade. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a long history of smash-mouth football dating back to before they ever won their first Super Bowl. That couldn't have been further from the truth. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. How an 8-year-old inspired Najee Harris' 5-TD performance vs. Ole Miss. Only other is safeties at sub lb and doesn't change their ratings just where they are on the field. Not entirely. He's posted 2,987 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns over the last three years. In 2012, the Steelers found themselves with JONATHAN DWYER as their leading rusher, which is what led to the spending of a second-round pick in the following draft on Le'Veon Bell. Bill Dudley also played with the Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins after leaving the Steelers, and finished his career with 3,057 yards rushing, 1,383 yards receiving, punted the ball for a total of 7,304 yards, and on defense intercepted 23 passes. The last Steelers running back taken in the first round before Najee Harris, Mendenhall won a Super Bowl as a rookie despite spending most of the season on injured reserve. A good scoring drive based on running plays eats up the clock and keeps the ball out of the hands of the other team's offense. During this decade, he earned two Pro Bowl nominations and an All-Pro bid. Former season 27 " Dancing With the Stars " competitor John Schneider has returned to social media following the death of his wife, Alicia Allain. With the Redskins, Cowboys and 49ers, Morris has 5,931 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns in the 2010s. He'll likely end up with a good chunk of dough in free agency, but it's hard to believe . The All-Modern Era team is made up of 26 players 11 on offense, 11 on defense, and four specialists. Best: Franco Harris. Despite the occurrences of injury, Hoge ran for 3,115 yards as a Steeler and rushed for 21 touchdowns. During his career, he's averaged 128.9 yards from scrimmage per game. Playing players out of position in mut will make there overall go down now. 7. In '94, he ran for 851 yards despite missing five games. In many ways, this style of offense is the polar opposite of the methods the Steelers used to win six Super Bowls. In 1999 the Chiefs cut him and his life spiraled out of control with drug problems and jail time. These honorable mentions may not have a place on this list of all-time best Steelers running backs, but if you are a Steelers fan, there is a good chance you'll remember them fondly. Dudley owns 44 touchdowns to his credit. Current team members are listed in bold. All-time Receiving Leader: Hines Ward 1,000 rec, 12,083 yds, 85 TD . Dudley also found himself on kickoff returns where he fielded 11 of those for 298 yards (27.0 average). The Tigers picked up their sixth commitment for the 2024 recruiting cycle - and their first running back - Wednesday with the public . He is currently a free agent and the third oldest running back in the NFL, as well as the second oldest active running back. name the pittsburgh steelers running back to the last 10 years. Since the merger in 1970, the Pittsburgh Steelers have rushed for more yards than any other team in the National Football League, and this commitment got two of their running backs elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This list of past Steelers tight ends features former greats, current impact players, and even future stars. Unfortunately for Johnson, his 2,000-yard season came in 2009, so it just missed the cut for counting on this list. Eight players have been recognized as having held the career rushing yards record in the NFL. In two seasons, he is already 18th among all Steelers backs in rushing. He has held the all-time rushing yards record since 2002 and is . 'We'll probably move a little slower than most of our peers, but we don't worry about the Jonses', 28-14 victory caps 7-2 finish, but season ends because Miami's win claims final playoff spot, 'He drinks the Kool-Aid that is Pittsburgh, Pa., he's a Steeler, he teaches it to the young guys', His 111 yards rushing, 10-yard catch for a TD, and physical presence throughout keyed 16-13 win, 'His versatility, his experience allows us to move him and Minkah to diversify our attack', 'The most challenging component of the weather, man, are the poor fans sitting in the stands', Dan Rooney: 'One of the finest, most thoughtful human beings I have ever known', 'I wanted to see Mitch's ability to bounce back from the last game relative to taking care of the ball', Three interceptions, blocked FG prove to be insurmountable mistakes in 16-14 defeat, 'You can take the energy out of an arena on the road when you do some of the things he does', The 19-16 victory represents first winning streak of season and is the third in last four games, The defense made some plays, such as Heyward's sack, but also allowed two 90-yard TD drives, 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers. By 1995, Foster was out of Pittsburgh and out of the NFL, thus ending his short, dramatic, and bizarre pro football career. Here's the final tally of Steelers Now's consensus preseason 2022 power rankings of AFC North running backs. Bettis came to the team at a time of free agency where the franchise didn't have the financial wherewithal that since has been created by Heinz Field, and yet he stayed. After a slow start (for a seventh overall draft pick from . The Steelers won a lot of games in the late-90s to mid-2000s by lining up 250-pound running back Jerome Bettis behind 250-pound fullback Dan Kreider and bulldozing any defense that came before them. Over the entire decade, he posted 6,417 rushing yards and 7,909 yards from scrimmage with the Titans, Jets and Cardinals from 2010-17. Seasons: 90 (1933 to 2022) Record (W-L-T): 666-585-23 Playoff Record: 36-27 Super Bowls Won: 6 (8 Appearances) Championships Won *: 6 . For the Steelers he would rush for 2,243 yards five seasons. Born in the Ivory Coast, Zereoue played his high school football in Long Island, New York and then went on to be a star running back for the Mountaineers. Myles Jack 61 Minkah Fitzpatrick . Former Steelers running back Willie Parker (39) acknowledges the crowd during a 2018 against the Chargers at Heinz Field. As a Steeler, Bettis crashed his way for 10,571 rushing yards and 78 rushing touchdowns, both second-best in team history. In 1979, he started 10 games in place of Bleier and ran for 585 yards and six touchdowns. The 32-year-old has yet to post a 1,000-yard season this decade, and judging by the fact he had only six rushing attempt last season, he's probably going to end the 2010s without one. Bleier starred in Super Bowl XIII with a touchdown reception and a recovered onside kick to seal Pittsburghs third NFL title. Tackles. The following is the Pittsburgh Steelers all-time roster, browsable by last name or position. The 34-year-old made All-Pro twice, in 2008 and 2009, but he added two more All-Pro nominations during 2012 and 2015. If I were to ask you to name the sixth-leading rusher in Steelers history, I bet youd say a lot of names before you got to Frank Pollard. CHARLESTON, W.Va. . In 2016 he had one of the best seasons for a running back in recent memory, accumulating a league-high 2,118 yards from scrimmage, including at least 100 yards in the first 15 games of the year. Clemson running backs coach CJ Spiller got his man. TEAM SEASON GP REC W% W L T TD PTS PPG OPP PTS OPP PPG 1DWN 3DWN% 4DWN% Pittsburgh Steelers: 2013: 16: 8-8.500: 8: 8: 0: 41: 379 . He led the Steelers in rushing in 1965, 1968, and 1969. 2. Morris peaked as a rookie, rushing for 1,613 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2012. Do you have a blog? Advertisement In some form or fashion, the Steelers will need to add quality depth to . Before Franco Harris, there was John Frenchy Fuqua. BARRY FOSTER set a Steelers single-season record with 1,690 rushing yards in 1992, and he got there with a 4.3 average while scoring 11 of the offense's 28 touchdowns. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. 1, Pittsburgh didn't have a top-25 running back. He'll continue to split time with Nick Chubb in the backfield, but the Browns are a run-first team that will use the talents of both. During the decade, he has 8,834 rushing yards five 1,000-yard seasons and 71 touchdowns. More like he will get exposed yet again as being the most overrated running back in the league . Jerome Bettis (1996-2005). As it is, he has 5,336 rushing yards and nearly 8,000 yards from scrimmage since coming into the league in 2013. Some teams also used them as receivers, and fullbacks like Larry Centers made a living catching passes out of the backfield. The only exception in madden 22 was a glitched out ray Lewis that was 97 at mlb but 99 at r/lolb. He holds the team record for most rushing yards in a career (11,950) as well as most rushing touchdowns (91) and total touchdowns (100). That's Steelers football. He was also an excellent receiver, both out of the backfield and split out as a wide receiver. In later years Bleier helped pen a book about himself and a movie was made about his story titled Fighting Back.. Read on to find out why. While those numbers may not seem impressive by todays standards, they were good enough to earn Tracy Pro Bowl appearances with the Steelers in 1958 and 1960. Some readers are probably going to argue this is too high for Forte. Perhaps one of the most popular and beloved Steelers players of all-time, Bleier became famous before he ever established himself as Franco Harriss partner in crime based on his experiences in the Vietnam War. Let's take a look back at the rest of the Steelers picks since the 2000 season. He amassed an incredible 449 touches in 2014 on his way to 1,845 rushing yards and 2,261 yards from scrimmage. As a Steeler, Famous Amos ran the ball 434 times for 1,698 yards and was a powerful running back at 205 pounds on a 58 frame. The mid-'80s were a tough time for Steeler Nation. Tracy ran for 2,717 yards and 15 touchdowns in his time with Pittsburgh and caught 96 passes for 1,322 yards and 14 touchdowns. Over the past 50 years, the Steelers have tallied 36 winning seasons . Le'veon Bell also earned a reputation as one of the most patient RBs in the NFL. Over the past six years, he has covered the NFL, NHL, MLB, fantasy sports, college football and basketball, and New Jersey high school sports for numerous print and online publications. Mendenhall provided the following reason for retiring so young: Football was pretty cool, but I dont want to play anymore. The controversy arose when the ball deflected off of Tatum or Frenchy. Ingram's best season came in 2017 when he posted 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns. Starters per season [ edit] These quarterbacks have started at least one game for the Pittsburgh Steelers . 9, we . What those teams dont have is a legacy of bullying and dominating opponents, and that is what brought the Steelers six Super Bowl championships. Murray made the All-Pro team and Pro Bowl that year. But there were bright spots, and Walter Abercrombie was one of them. Do you have a sports website? Johnson was a bruising fullback who spent time in San Francisco and Detroit before coming to Pittsburgh in 1960. Emmitt Smith has held the record since surpassing Walter Payton's long-standing total in 2002. This was the age of the feature back, when one superstar halfback got most of the carries. Since missing the last five games of 2010, Gore has sat out just two games over the last eight years. All-time Receiving Leader: Hines Ward 1,000 rec, 12,083 yds, 85 TD . He had the highest usage rate among running backs at 35.8% and was third in red-zone touches with 61. In 2011 Jones-Drew led the league with 1,606 rushing yards and 386 touches. Today, Johnson is one of the former Steelers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In addition, he got 52 receiving yards, with an average of 10.4. LeVeon Bell made his mark with the Steelers running in this kind of offense. 1 1. LISTEN: Hounds, world soccer, PGA with Mike Grau, Steelers: Need for QB of the Future is More Apparent than Ever, Steelers: Defense Needs to Take Advantage of Inconsistent Bills Passing Attack, Steelers: Devlin Hodges Has Chance to Make Lasting Impression in Week 14, Steelers: James Washingtons Emergence Could Make Offense Dangerous. Who Is The Best Running Back In The NFL Right Now? 22. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. In both seasons, he made All-Pro. Pittsburgh Steelers player information and depth chart order. Preston Pearson: Pearson wore Rocky Bleiers college number of 26 and was a solid football player who was a member of the Steelers first Super Bowl winning team in 1975 when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 16-6 in Super Bowl IX. Harris managed to get 691 rushing yards, with an average of five yards. In 1966 when the Fighting Irish won the national title, Rocky was a member of that team. Murray is another back who put together three strong seasons during his career and led the league in rushing once. Drafted in the third round by the Steelers, Zereoue would play from 1999 to 2003 in Black and Gold before finishing his career in Oakland for one season and another in New England. He sill holds the single season record for rushing for Pittsburgh with 1,690 yards gained in 1992. A bruising Hall of Famer running back, Franco Harris was the perfect embodiment of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense during their championship runs in the 1970s. As an undrafted rookie in 2004, Bill Cowher took a chance on the 5-foot-10, 209-pound first-year player and Parker impressed sharing time with The Bus, Jerome Bettis. Most Steelers fans think of Rocky Bleier as Franco Harris running mate throughout the 70s, and rightly so. Having gone through a tough contract negotiation in 1995, the Steelers instead of trying to settle traded Foster over to the Carolina Panthers who then cut the running back in training camp due to a failed physical. Fuqua led the . Still, "CJ2K" comes in at No. Included are players that played for the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) from 1945-2022, the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) from 1940-1942 and the Pittsburgh Pirates (NFL) from 1933-1939. 4. Quite a contrast to kick off this list. Of course, we all know why. He would play six seasons in Three Rivers Stadium when the Steelers were home and finish with 3,343 yards rushing. Gurley has rushed for 4,547 rushing yards and recorded 6,430 yards from scrimmage with 56 touchdowns. There have been some running backs in Steelers history who had one or two good seasons in Pittsburgh, then went on their way. Always free! Who should be on top of the Steelers NFL Free Agency board? Of course we are talking about the Immaculate Reception. Teams like the 49ers, Packers, and Chargers still have plenty of use for thembut many organizations dont carry a fullback on their roster at all. Near the end of an uneventful rookie season, he was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. He's been named All-Pro and led the NFL in rushing touchdowns during each of the last two years too. In the last 10 years, 10 different backs have led the league in PPR scoring. A fullback is not required in this type of offensive game plan. He spent his first year in the NFL with the Giants before coming to the Steelers in 1970. Foster's 1,690 yards set a team record that season and earned him Pro Bowl and All-Pro nominations. In 2005, speedy Willie Parker took advantage of paths cleared by Kreider, and the Steelers won the Super Bowl. MORE: 2023 Dynasty Rookie Rankings. Photos from the career of former Steelers running back and Hall of Fame finalist Jerome Bettis. This decade, Sproles has also led the league in punt return yardage twice. The following is another in a series that picks a Steelers All-Modern Era Team. The next ingredient is a tough, hard-nosed rushing attack that controls the ball and methodically plows through opposing defenses. Fuqua will be forever remembered by Steelers fans as the intended receiver of Terry Bradshaws Immaculate Reception pass, which ricocheted into the arms of Franco Harris. Included are player stats for the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) from 1945-2022, the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) from 1940-1942 and the Pittsburgh Pirates (NFL) from 1933-1939. Find out more. He's averaged 101.2 rushing yards per game during his career and led the NFL in that category each of the last three years. Bettis was team-first through some questionable demotions and worse decisions as to the direction of the offense, and he welcomed Duce Staley and mentored Willie Parker along the way to a Super Bowl championship to complete a quest his teammates had dedicated to him. The fullback might get the ball once or twice a game in short-yardage situations, but for the most part, he was turned into a blocking specialist. Fullback Franco Harris came to the Steelers in the 1972 draft and made an immediate impact. By 1974, Bleier was weighing in at 212 pounds and he made the team to stay. Including last season when Bell sat out because of a contract dispute, the two-time All-Pro has missed 34 games in his six-year career. Took pay cuts, and continued to stay. Since reliable yardage statistics were not recorded prior to 1932, the first NFL player recognized as the career leader in rushing yards was Cliff Battles, who played from 1932 to 1937 for the Boston Braves / Boston Redskins / Washington Redskins. Fuqua would have to be the most colorful player in Steelers history as well as the most controversial. Watt is a fullback who saw a lot of snaps during his time with the Chargers.). . Le'Veon Bell was one of the best Steelers running backs of all time. He ended his career with only 1,512 rushing yards, but with two Super Bowl rings. Dick Hoak: The running backs coach for the Steelers for an incredible 35 years, Hoak was also an excellent player at the position he would spend so many years coaching up. In three of his four NFL seasons, Gurley has rushed for more than 1,100 yards and at least 10 touchdowns. Parker had a shot to lead the NFL in rushing in 2007, but he broke his leg in the regular season's penultimate game and finished with 1,316 yards. As the tight end position increasingly becomes more of a focal point in offensive schemes , one can only imagine what this list will look like in years down the road. As a punter, he kicked the ball 18 times during his career and averaged 32 yards per punt. Really, he will just be doing what teams like the Steelers did for decades. In the I-formation, the fullback lines up behind the quarterback, and the halfback (tailback) lines up behind the fullback. The role of the fullback changed dramatically when the I-formation came into vogue in the 1980s. The former Titan had only 28 catches for 294 yards last year . He made another Pro Bowl in 1993 but only rushed for half as many yards due to injuries. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Franco Harris is the Pittsburgh Steelers career leader in rushing yards with 11,950. Unfortunately, injuries have slowed him over the last couple of years and prevented him from running for more than 865 yards in a season. He already has as many touchdowns rushing as Bam Morris Unfortunately, before the season began last year, Bell was arrested with LeGarrette Blount for a DWI and possession of marijuana. 2. The former Heisman Trophy winner is another example of a highly regarded college back getting off to a slow start in the NFL. The trend in the modern NFL is to run the ball out of single-back sets, often from a shotgun or pistol formation. Insider insists Tom Brady could sign with 49ers in 2023, The 'Most recent first-round NFL quarterbacks' quiz, Seven Cubs pitchers combine for spring no-hitter vs. Padres, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones comments on Tony Pollard rumor, Ben Simmons suffers back injury while rehabilitating, Insider: It's Packers, Jets 'or bust' for Aaron Rodgers, QB Anthony Richardson doesn't understand his 'project' label, Vikings HC reveals 'crazy' thoughts about star WR, XFL player released for giving another team plays from own playbook. I enjoy the passing game, and I love that Ben Roethlisberger has matured into an elite quarterback, but it is hard for me to imagine there is a better way to play football than Steelers Football. James Conner is at the forefront . SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. Foster made one attempt to come out of retirement with the Cincinnati Bengals that same year but after just a few days with the club he decided on retirement at the tender age of 26. But from 2015-16, he posted more than 1,000 rushing yards, 1,500 yards from scrimmage and at least 13 touchdowns each season.
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