For some, the Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 rookie class was about two players: Devin Bush and Diontae Johnson. Benny Snell didn’t get the attention of the other two, but he quietly had a successful first season in the black and gold. Pittsburgh doesn’t have a number one guy at running back for the future (mostly due to James Conner‘s injury history). If Benny Snell builds on his rookie year, he could end up getting the bulk of the carries after Conner’s time in Pittsburgh is up. Snell hasn’t shown much in the receiving game or in pass protection, so to this point, it can’t be expected of him to be a complete three-down back. But, strictly as a ball carrier, Benny Snell definitely has some promise moving forward for the Steelers.
Benny Snell Rookie Evaluation
By the Numbers
Looking at his rookie season as a whole, Benny Snell’s numbers won’t blow anyone away. His average of 3.9 yards per carry was good for second on the team among backs with 50+ carries (Conner averaged 4.0). This average was surely hurt by the fact that Snell faced an eight-man box on almost 40% of his carries, the second-highest rate in the NFL. With Pittsburgh’s nonexistent passing attack, whoever was being asked to carry the ball was being asked to fight for every yard. Snell embodies Steelers smash-mouth football, so his 3.9 yards per carry isn’t a huge worry.
Due to injuries to Conner, Benny Snell spent five games as Pittsburgh’s featured back. In each of those five games, Snell carried the ball at least 16 times. 371 of his 426 rushing yards on the year came during those games with an average of 4.2 yards per carry. His best statistical game of the year came in Cincinnati, when he carried the ball 21 times for 98 yards while also playing 21 special teams snaps.
Benny Snell the Runner
Strictly as a runner, there is an argument to be made that Benny Snell was the best running back on the Steelers this year. Snell averaged 2.8 yards after contact per rush to Conner’s 2.3. Benny Snell broke a tackle roughly every 15 carries, while that number for Conner was every 23 carries. Yards after contact is the first thing that comes to mind when watching Snell’s runs from this year. He is the kind of running back whose legs never stop moving and every time he’s tackled he seems to fall forward. Falling forward adds up to extra yards and more importantly extra first downs over the course of a game. In terms of power, Benny Snell was very good this year.
Another thing that Snell does well is hitting the hole hard. Steelers fans started to get used to watching Le’Veon Bell patiently search for the hole before hitting it. That was not the case with Snell this year. His average of 2.8 seconds behind the line of scrimmage on carries was among the lowest in the league. Snell was definitely more comfortable running up the middle this year than around the edge. When the Steelers could get Snell following a pulling guard, that’s when he did his best work. His running style wasn’t compatible with stretch plays, which is an area the Steelers should use Snell less frequently moving forward.
To piggyback off of that, the one area that might hold Benny Snell back from becoming a true number one back is his speed in the open field. So many times this year, it seems like he was just one step too slow to get around the edge. Part of that blame can fall on the Steelers for running Snell to the outside too often. He definitely is more agile than one would expect for a back of his size with his running style, though. Even though he won’t outrun defenders in the open field, he is good at making himself small, squeezing into tight holes, and somehow coming out the other side.
In the Passing Game
This is the area that hurt Benny Snell’s production throughout the season. In obvious passing downs, it was rare to see him on the field. He doesn’t offer much as a receiver out of the backfield. Furthermore, he struggled in pass protection for much of the season. Snell did improve a little bit on his blitz pickups throughout the year, but still not to the point it needs to be. It is no secret that the Steelers like to use their running backs in the passing game. This year, they were thrown to frequently due to the lack of a deep passing attack. Next year with Ben Roethlisberger back, there will likely be more pass protection asked of the running backs. Whatever the case may be, Snell will be working this offseason to improve in both areas.
Looking Ahead
With some uncertainty surrounding the Steelers running back situation heading into next year, Benny Snell is an important piece of the puzzle. He absolutely is capable of being the featured back in an offense like Pittsburgh’s. They really struggled this year running the ball, and a higher dose of Snell could help fix that problem next year. As previously stated, he will need to improve in the passing game. Hopefully the gameplans next year will involve less stretches and sweeps for Snell and more counters. With a better passing game to compliment the rushing attack, Benny Snell will likely playing a key role in the Steelers offense.
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