Parker never regained his starting job and was released only to make on attempt at staying in the NFL with the Washington Redskins in 2010 where he spent his time on the practice squad before retiring. It's a smaller sample size, but Elliott has also posted 131.2 yards from scrimmage per game in his three seasons. Hoak made a Pro Bowl in 1968 and is currently ranked seventh in Steelers' history for all-time rushing yards with 3,965. But twice he rushed for more than 1,400 yards, and as a rookie in 2012 Martin posted 1,926 yards from scrimmage. Meanwhile, Myles Jack's cap hit grows significantly from $4.75 million last year to $11.25 million in 2023. Former Steelers running back Willie Parker (39) acknowledges the crowd during a 2018 against the Chargers at Heinz Field. In 1980, Thornton would average five yards-per-carry while carrying the rock 78 times. Peterson then signed with the . Mendenhall provided the following reason for retiring so young: Football was pretty cool, but I dont want to play anymore. He ran for 5,378 yards while playing at Heinz Field. By 1995, Foster was out of Pittsburgh and out of the NFL, thus ending his short, dramatic, and bizarre pro football career. It's hard to rank Sproles. 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. A bullet pierced his left thigh in Vietnam and further injuries occurred when a grenade exploded near him putting shrapnel in his lower right leg. He ranks 23rd all-time among Pittsburgh rushers having gained 1,504 yards as a Steeler. It's an inspiring story, but if Bleier wasn't one of the best running backs in Steelers' history, he wouldn't have made this list. Players active with the Pittsburgh . Vote below for who you think is the best Pittsburgh Steelers tight end of all time, then head over and check out the top Pittsburgh Steelers players ever. He seemed to violate every rule young players are taught about playing running back, yet he thrived. Bell was a unique back in Steelers history due to both the wide-open offense he played in and his careful, patient running style. His performance in the 1989 playoffs, when he turned in back-to-back 100-yard games against Houston and Denver, is the stuff of Steelers' legend. Today he is 68 and still colorful. Merril Hoge was a versatile fullback who could carry the ball, catch passes, and block. Murray made the All-Pro team and Pro Bowl that year. 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. Over the past 50 years, the Steelers have tallied 36 winning seasons . Posted August 12, 2019 The next ingredient is a tough, hard-nosed rushing attack that controls the ball and methodically plows through opposing defenses. 9-Rocky Bleier. All-time Rushing Leader: Franco Harris 2,881 att, 11,950 yds, 91 TD . Overall, he ran for 4,731 yards and 28 touchdowns playing for the Rams, Falcons and Patriots from 2010-15. Dudley also scored on a lateraled pass and has kicked point-after-touchdowns as well as making successful field goals. He spent much of 2019 injured, and team injuries across the board made it difficult to judge his performance fairly. 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. | Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Standing 5-foot-11 and 195-pounds, Spears passes the . He's been named All-Pro and led the NFL in rushing touchdowns during each of the last two years too. In 2015 Williams rejuvenated his career with the Steelers, filling in for the suspended and injured Le'Veon Bell for 10 games. Foster's 1,690 yards set a team record that season and earned him Pro Bowl and All-Pro nominations. The top photos of RB Le'Veon Bell throughout 2014 season. Over the past 50 years, the Steelers have had three coaches, and each has used a different style of offense. In the following AFC title game against Miami, Pollard was held to just 48 yards rushing. Today, Abercrombie spends his days atsthe Executive Director for his alma mater leading the Baylor B Association which is an organization of previous letter winners for the university. Sep 20, 1992; San Diego, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Barry Foster (29) in action against San Diego Chargers defenders Junior Seau (55) and George Thornton (93) at Jack . Player ratings with position rankings. All rights reserved. Lists that rank the greatest players and coaches in the history of the NFL franchise. 'Top 10, he would not get laughs' Thirty-five picks elapsed before a team drafted a running back last year. Just look back to last year when he was able to make cuts and find holes. Former season 27 " Dancing With the Stars " competitor John Schneider has returned to social media following the death of his wife, Alicia Allain. Regular season. The former Titan had only 28 catches for 294 yards last year . Outside linebacker Joey Porter came to Pittsburgh in 1999. His best season was in 1985 when he rushed for 991 yards. 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 . (Note: The Steelers signed Derek Watt during the 2020 offseason and released Nix, who signed with Indianapolis. 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. Others were blocking fullbacks who spent their careers opening holes for star backs. But he still turned in two more 1,000-yard seasons and recorded at least 800 yards from scrimmage in four seasons this decade. Today we ranked the Pittsburgh Steeler Running Backs throughout their franchise! 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 . The on-field portion of the NFL Combine begins on Thursday, marking the start of the testing circuit that propels some prospects into the stratosphere while ruining the stock of others. He also was a punt returner, bringing back 20 punts with a 14.0 average per return. 4. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. He had the highest usage rate among running backs at 35.8% and was third in red-zone touches with 61. That one instance came in 1956 when Art Rooney Sr. uncharacteristically was frustrated with a head coach and instructed the then Head Coach Walt Kiesling to negate the opening Rogel rush and throw the ball instead. As a rookie, on a terrible offense, he finished as a top 24 running back in 93% of his games last year. But you cant throw just any ball carrier out there and hope to have success; it takes a certain kind of player to fit into a power running offensive scheme. During the 2021 offseason, Pittsburgh declined to re-sign Conner, making him a free agent and creating an opportunity for the Arizona Cardinals to scoop him up. 2. In 2015 he finished second in the league in rushing and earned a spot on the All-Pro Team. He would retire with 3,965 yards on the ground, second best in history for the Steelers at that time. The team made it to the playoffs ten times ( 1992-1997 , 2001-2002 , 2004-2005 ) and had a 12-9 record under Coach Hoak in playoff games. He made the Pro Bowl three times, from 2014-16. TODAY: Running backs. From the time Fran Rogel became the teams starting running back in 1950 until his retirement in 1957, Pittsburghs first play from scrimmage in every game Rogel was in the backfield began with a handoff to the California State Teachers College and Penn State University product with a rush into the middle of the offensive line. He signed as an undrafted free agent who had run a 4.23-second 40 at the Scouting Combine the previous spring. Pittsburgh Steelers Stats: The official source for Pittsburgh Steelers game statistics . Many teams even rotate three or more backs throughout the game, with all getting an equal number of carries. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. While Gore has never led the league in rushing or made All-Pro, his consistency lands him at No. WILLIE PARKER had difference-making speed at the NFL level, but because he wasn't built physically to withstand the 913 carries he got from 2005-07, he got worn down and then his speed wasn't as difference-making at the NFL level. Not entirely. He made nine straight Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team and finished his career as the leading rusher in team history and No. In his first three seasons, Ingram ran for more than 600 yards in a season just once. Some teams also used them as receivers, and fullbacks like Larry Centers made a living catching passes out of the backfield. In 2015 Williams rejuvenated his career with the Steelers, filling in for the suspended and injured Le'Veon Bell for 10 games. Matte took over for another fantastic white running back, former Heisman Trophy winner and 1958 NFL Championship Game hero Alan Ameche. He will be called an innovator or maybe even a genius when his team wins a Super Bowl by smashing its way through flimsy NFL defenses that are designed to stop passing attacks. The Senate passed the bill . . He came to the Steelers after three seasons with the Rams which had earned him a reputation as a problem player. Born Byron Morris, drafted in the third round of the 1994 draft, Morris immediately made an impact with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming to them from Texas Tech University. Fullback Franco Harris came to the Steelers in the 1972 draft and made an immediate impact. In 2005, speedy Willie Parker took advantage of paths cleared by Kreider, and the Steelers won the Super Bowl. 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. Former Tulane Green Wave running back Tyjae Spears made a big splash at the Senior Bowl, but that was hardly the first time he put on a show. It worked perfectly with the maulers he had in front of him in Pittsburgh as he has some Xbox like highlight reels to show for it. After a slow start (for a seventh overall draft pick from . Only other is safeties at sub lb and doesn't change their ratings just where they are on the field. Harris managed to get 691 rushing yards, with an average of five yards. Looking at an NFL game today, something seems to be missing. During this decade, he earned two Pro Bowl nominations and an All-Pro bid. That couldn't have been further from the truth. Unfortunately for Johnson, his 2,000-yard season came in 2009, so it just missed the cut for counting on this list. Here's the final tally of Steelers Now's consensus preseason 2022 power rankings of AFC North running backs. Gordon averaged a career-best 5.1 yards per carry in 2018. 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. Hopefully the Christmas edition of DraftKings top performers and busts finds you warm among family and friends as we unwrap the matchups in daily fantasy football for Week 16.The difficulty and uneasiness of lineup construction is increasing as more and more players we havent heard of become viable DFS starters in 2015s closing act.Use the list below to fill your roster with glad tidings while . CHARLESTON, W.Va. . In 2011 Jones-Drew led the league with 1,606 rushing yards and 386 touches. 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. Hunt only played eight games with the Browns last season after serving an eight-game suspension. Sproles has nearly as many receptions (460) as carries (516) since 2010, and he has 3,936 receiving yards. Harris is one of the main reasons the Steelers won four Super Bowls in the 1970s. As it is, he has 5,336 rushing yards and nearly 8,000 yards from scrimmage since coming into the league in 2013. Williams recorded at least 730 rushing yards in a season four times during the 2010s, and he ended the decade with 4,246 rushing yards. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Watt is a fullback who saw a lot of snaps during his time with the Chargers.).