Steelers running backs since 2000 include 1. Jerome Bettis 2. Willie Parker 3. Rashard Mendenhall 4. Jonathan Dwyer and 5. Verron Haynes.
Bettis played a total of 13 seasons in the NFL and came to the Pittsburgh Steelers after playing three seasons with the Los 5ngeles Rams from 1993 to 1995.
He was actually traded to the Steelers for the 1996 season as he chose to contribute to other teams with his running. The former RB played 10 seasons with the teams.
His stats with the squad during his tenure read 10,572 rushing yards, 574 first downs and 78 touchdowns. In his overall NFL regular season career, the player received 1,449 yards and 3 receiving touchdowns.
Similarly, Parker joined the team in his rookie year in 2004. He stayed with the Pittsburgh Steelers for six seasons until 2010 and also played in the Super Bowl XL.
The team became his only professional franchise although he went to Washington Redskins in 2010 but was cut in September. In the regular season with the team, he rushed for 5,378 yards and scored 24 touchdowns.
Steelers Running Backs Last 10 Years
Pittsburgh Steelers Running Backs in the past are Le’Veon Bell, Jonathan Dwyer, Will Johnson, Felix Jones, LeGarrette Brown, and Dri Archer.
Below is the full list of Steelers running backs since 2013:
[table-1]Le’Veon Bell
Bell made his NFL debut with the Pittsburgh Steelers after he was drafted by the team in the 2013 NFL Draft as the 48th overall pick in the second round.
From 2013 to 2017, he played five seasons for the squad and was held out for the 2018 season. Bell played his first National Football League game on 29 September against the Minnesota Vikings where the team had to bear a 34-27 loss.
The RB rushed for a total of 5,366 yards for the team and scored 35 rushing touchdowns. His career-high TD was in the 2017 season when he rushed to get 9 touchdowns.
In the later years, he went on to join the Giants, the Chiefs, the Ravens, and the Buccaneers. He was born on 18 February 1992 and attended Groveport Madison High School in Groveport, Ohio.
Bell played his college football at Michigan State University for the Michigan State Spartans football team. He was with the team for three years from 2010 to 2012.
The players’ collegiate stats read 3,346 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns, 531 receiving yards with 1 receiving touchdown, and 11 kick returned for 219 yards.
Benny Snell
Snell was born on 26 February 1998 and played his high school football at Westerville Central High School. He won two Ohio Conference Capital titles.
The running back played his college football at Kentucky from 2016 to 2018. In his sophomore year, he rushed for 1,091 yards and scored 13 touchdowns.
In his overall collegiate career, Benny recorded 3,873 rushing yards and 48 touchdowns. The player was drafted by the Steelers in the 2019 NFL Draft in the fourth round as the 122nd overall pick.
Snell played a total of four seasons with the squad and appeared in 60 games but started only in 5 matches. Benny made his NFL debut in the Week 13 game against the Cleveland Browns and rushed for 63 yards.
The player also appeared in the week 17 game against the Baltimore Ravens players. As a rookie, the RB rushed for 426 yards and two touchdowns.
In a total his career with the Steelers, Snell recorded 982 rushing yards, 7 touchdowns, 114 receiving yards, and 3 fumbles. He was signed by the Detroit Lions for the 2023 season but was released in August.
James Conner
Conner was drafted by the Steelers in the 2017 NFL Draft in the third round as a 105th overall pick and played four seasons with the team.
James was under a year contract with the team and made his professional career debut against the Cleveland Browns in the season opener of 2017. He did not start any games in his rookie season but rushed for 144 yards and did not score any touchdowns.
In a total of four regular-season games with the team, the player rushed for 2,302 yards scoring 22 touchdowns. Conner’s career receiving yards read 1,638 and 8 receiving TDs.
James attended the University of Pittsburgh and Maryland to play college football from 2013 to 2016. The player rushed for 3,733 yards and 52 touchdowns in just 39 games played as a whole.
Pittsburgh Steelers Running Backs History
Best Steelers running backs consist of Franco Harris, Jerome Bettis, Rocky Bleier, Le’Veon Bell, Willie Parker, Barry Foster, and Merril Hoge.
Franco Harris
Harris is one of the most acclaimed players in the franchise’s history. He was born on 7 March 1950 and played 13 seasons in the NFL among which 12 for the Steelers.
The player was selected by the team in the 1972 NFL Draft in the first round as the 13th overall pick. The Penn State University graduate athlete was named rookie of the year in his first season under head coach Chuck Noll.
His rookie year gave him 1,055 yards, 188 carries, and 10 touchdowns. The athlete’s per-carry average was 5.6 yards. From 1972 to 1980, Harris was chosen for nine consecutive Pro Bowls.
Franco along with Bleier contributed strongly to the team’s four Super Bowl wins i.e. in 1974, 1975, 1978, and 1979. Harris was also named the Super Bowl MVP in the IX Lombardi Trophy where he rushed for 158 yards and scored one touchdown on 34 carries.
The squad released the major contributor of rushing touchdowns refusing to raise during the 1984 training camp and was signed by the Seattle Seahawks in the same year. He died on 20 December 2022.
Rocky Bleier
Bleier was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1968 NFL Draft in the 16th round. He was the 417th overall pick but joined the US Army in December.
Rocky rejoined the team in 1970 during the camp but was put on the IR list as he could barely walk in pain. The player made his comeback in 1971 and stayed on the special teams.
The former veteran struggled a lot to get increased playtime in the game and made himself to the starting lineup only in 1974 wearing Jersey #20.
The second most powerful rusher on the team rushed over more than 1,000 yards along with Franco. He appeared in all three Super Bowl wins of the team.
His career until the 1980 season recorded 3,865 rushing yards, 25 touchdowns, and 136 receptions for 1,294 yards.
Pittsburgh Steelers RB Depth Chart 2023
Starting RB for the Steelers is Najee Harris followed by Jaylen Warren in the backup. Harris has been in the starter role since his NFL debut in 2021.
Harris was the first running back to be selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and was the 24th overall pick. He is currently under a four-year contract with the squad and has already completed two seasons.
The pro player is currently in his third season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the last two seasons, the athlete has recorded 2,234 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns with 3.9 yards per average.
He also had 115 receptions for 696 receiving yards and 6 receiving touchdowns and made three fumbles. The player completed his 2022 season with 272 carries for 1,038 yards and 7 rushing touchdowns.
Harris played his college football at the University of Alabama for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team for four years from 2017 to 2020 under head coach Nick Saban.
He started his freshman year in college football by playing all 14 games and rushing for 370 yards and three touchdowns. By the end of his college years, he had 638 carries for 3,843 yards and 48 touchdowns with career high 26 TDs in 2020.
The RB also recorded 80 receptions for 781 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. On the other hand, he also had 718 touches for 4,624 scrimmage yards and 58 TDs.
Harris was born on 9 March 1998 and went on to attend Antioch High School in Antioch, California where he rushed for a total of 7,948 yards and 94 touchdowns.
Who Is The Steelers Backup Running Back?
Pittsburgh Steelers backup running backs are Jaylen Warren and Godwin Igwebuike in the second and third number in the position for the 2023 season.
Warren was signed by the team in 2022 as an undrafted free agent and was placed on the final roster on 31 August 2022. He finished his 2022 season with 379 rushing yards from 77 carries and a single rushing touchdown.
He played college football for five years from 2017 to 2022 associating with Snow College, Utah State, and Oklahoma State. His collegiate stats recorded 706 carries for 4,488 yards and 45 touchdowns.
Similarly, Igwebuike is in his first season with the team in 2023. He came from the Atlanta Falcons and was signed by the franchise on 20 September.
Despite his association with many teams, he actually only played for the Detroit Lions and the Seattle Seahawks and combinedly rushed for 122 yards and a single touchdown.