Art Rooney sounds like he wants the Steelers to draft a top running back
By Josh Hill
Steelers owner Art Rooney II made it abundantly clear what he thinks about the offense and what he expected in 2021.
After starting last season 11-0 Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t so much fly too close to the sun as they flew directly into it. Even Icarus blushed at how quickly the Steelers went from a team that looked destined to go undefeated to a 1-3 team down the stretch.
Making matters worse, the Steelers season ended at the hands of the Cleveland Browns, handing their rivals their first playoff win this century and the first in almost three decades.
Everything seemed to be going so well for the Steelers, as Ben Roethlisberger was throwing the ball better than he had in years and Pittsburgh was crushing its opponents. The emergence of Chase Claypool seemingly reinvigorated an offense we hadn’t seen perform this well in years.
But the flash of one part of the offense blinded many to the critical flaw of another. Pittsburgh ranked dead last in rushing in 2020, something that dragged its total offense into the bottom-10 of the league. For context, the passing game was Top-15 in the NFL last season but the Steelers were so bad running the ball that it completely tanked its offensive efficiency — and helped expose flaws that ultimately sunk its season.
Steelers owner wants big changes at running back in 2021
Art Rooney II knows this and won’t put up with such a miserable output again. In speaking with Steelers fans earlier this week, the owner was very blunt and stern about what he does and does not want to see from the running game in 2021.
“We’ve got to be a lot better in running,” Rooney said. “Certainly we don’t want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers being last in the league in rushing again ever. I think it’s something our coaches are focused on and we’ll be looking for ways to improve in the draft. It’s something we’ve got to fix, and we are working on it.”
James Conner was the lead back in 2020 but he struggled all season due to injury. Despite having depth at running back the Steelers ended up being shallow with talent, as the combination of Benny Snell, Anthony McFarland Jr., and Jaylen Samuels were unable to pick up the slack left by Conner.
If the Steelers end up looking to the draft to fill the running back gap, there are a number of intriguing options. Clemson’s Travis Etienne and Alabama’s Najee Harris would be bolster the offense in massive ways, and there’s deeper talent to be had with guys like Trey Sermon from Ohio State or North Carolina’s Javonte Williams.
No matter who ends up being the guy, it sounds like the Steelers are going to make big changes in the running back room in 2021 and the directive is coming straight from the top.