Harris managed to get 691 rushing yards, with an average of five yards. In fact, no back has even finished top-two in consecutive years, and only Adrian Peterson (second in 2009 and 2015; first in 2012) and Le'Veon Bell (first in 2014; second in 2017) have even had more than one top-two year in a decade. That lands him in the top five during the decade. 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. But since then he has a pair of 1,000-yard rushing years and 4,545 yards on the ground in five years. This is a list of National Football League running backs by total career rushing yards, and includes the 31 running backs who have rushed for at least 10,000 yards, for which sixteen of them have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.. Emmitt Smith leads with 18,365 yards and is also the postseason leader with 1,586. All-time Receiving Leader: Hines Ward 1,000 rec, 12,083 yds, 85 TD . This means two backs in the backfield, usually lined up side by side. Despite the occurrences of injury, Hoge ran for 3,115 yards as a Steeler and rushed for 21 touchdowns. Pittsburgh Steelers player information and depth chart order. 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. does st martin parish have school tomorrow. This list of past Steelers tight ends features former greats, current impact players, and even future stars. Sadly, the days of Steelers Football seem to have gone the way of the dropkick. All-time Rushing Leader: Franco Harris 2,881 att, 11,950 yds, 91 TD . NICK CHUBB, CLEVELAND BROWNS. As it is, he has 5,336 rushing yards and nearly 8,000 yards from scrimmage since coming into the league in 2013. The Steelers will win 5 games this year, Canada will be fired, and Tomlin will "resign." . Photos from the career of former Steelers running back and Hall of Fame finalist Jerome Bettis. Let's take a look back at the rest of the Steelers picks since the 2000 season. No NFL team has enjoyed the consistent level of success the Pittsburgh Steelers have enjoyed since the AFL-NFL merger of 1970. More like he will get exposed yet again as being the most overrated running back in the league . While that trio may be the best-best-of-the best to run behind Pittsburghs all-time offensive lines, there have been more than a handful of outstanding running backs for Pittsburgh since they began play in 1933. This decade, Sproles has also led the league in punt return yardage twice. Franco Harris is not only the best Steelers running back in franchise history, but one of the greatest Steelers of all time. He would eventually become the feature back, but in 2009 he suffered Jack Lamberts injury, turf toe and was replaced by Rashard Mendenhall in the process. He also posted at least 1,500 yards from scrimmage during 2013 and 2014 when the Seahawks went to two Super Bowls. Ibrahim, who . TODAY: Running backs 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. He stepped in for a banged-up Willie Parker in 2009 and ran for 1,108 yards and seven touchdowns. Sidney Thornton: Another stout running back for Pittsburgh was the bullish Thornton who weighed in at 230 pounds during his play days in Pittsburgh from 1977 to 1982. 8. 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 . Jackson never led the league in rushing and never made the All-Pro team. In Dick Hoak's 10 years as a Steeler, he only saw two winning seasons. In just a three-year period, from 2010-12, he posted 5,702 yards from scrimmage and 47 touchdowns. Well, he's worth a lot more now. Allain died on February 21, 2023, following a . In Pittsburgh, he was everything but. Harris disputed that and said he was 240 pounds as a rookie. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Dudley owns 44 touchdowns to his credit. He made the Pro Bowl three times, from 2014-16. 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. He'll likely end up with a good chunk of dough in free agency, but it's hard to believe . 12. 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). As a Steelers, he was occasionally brilliant but more often disappointing. Bettis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015. In his first three seasons, Ingram ran for more than 600 yards in a season just once. Emailed daily. Before Franco Harris, there was John Frenchy Fuqua. Meanwhile, Myles Jack's cap hit grows significantly from $4.75 million last year to $11.25 million in 2023. Dudley also found himself on kickoff returns where he fielded 11 of those for 298 yards (27.0 average). He also earned the first of two consecutive First-Team All-Pro selections. Le'veon Bell also earned a reputation as one of the most patient RBs in the NFL. 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. Only stats for Regular Season Games have been included. By his second season as a Steeler, he had become the heir apparent to Jerome Bettis. When it comes to this room, the Steelers are indeed looking for them to step up. All-time Rushing Leader: Franco Harris 2,881 att, 11,950 yds, 91 TD . The number of games they started during the season is listed to the right of their name: These quarterbacks have the most starts for the Steelers in regular season games. Christian McCaffrey (2019) This past season, McCaffrey became the third running back in NFL history to generate over 1,000 rushing and receiving yards in a single season. He posted 1,000-yard rushing seasons in each of the first three years of the decade. But Hoak is probably best remembered for his ever-so-long tenure as the Running Backs coach with Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher. 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. Still, Bleier became a starter in the backfield with Harris and shined. Johnson was a bruising fullback who spent time in San Francisco and Detroit before coming to Pittsburgh in 1960. 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. However, it's not too early to break down the best from the 2010s either. Trump can be sued by cops United States 11:10 am - 10,090 views; Train crash toll now 57 Greece 9:38 am - 3,746 views; Snow, rain end drought California 9:32 am - 1,290 views; More World News OTHERS TO CONSIDER Starting this list chronologically is as good a way as any. Twenty-three slots went by before the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Najee Harris in 2021. In the end Rocky Bleier rushed for 3,865 yards, 1,294 yards receiving on 136 catches and scored 25 times. Last season he rushed for only 885 yards, but that came in 12 games. Find out more. The Steelers ran out the pro set for most of the 1970s and 1980s under head coach Chuck Noll. When running the ball, they often do so out of one-back sets and shotgun and pistol formations. The Steelers have had some incredibly talented players over the years . Pittsburgh has fielded plenty of those defensive units over the years, and there are more than a few Steelers defenders in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2020 running back room has the assortments of all the skillsets you could find around the NFL. Running backs are not the commodities they once were. 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. Of course, we all know why. Emmitt Smith leads with 18,365 yards and is also the postseason leader with 1,586. Weve reviewed the most popular quarterbacks to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but among those signal callers, who are some of the players they were handing the ball off to when not throwing the rock? All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. All-time Scoring Leader: Gary Anderson 1,343 points Keep in mind that accomplishments made only during this decade were considered for these rankings. Many argued that when Gore suffered a season-ending injury at the beginning of December in 2010, his best days were behind him. Former season 27 " Dancing With the Stars " competitor John Schneider has returned to social media following the death of his wife, Alicia Allain. 20 and retired with that number despite the departure of Pearson to Dallas. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. 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. The Steelers have always had great defensive playersand that hasn't changedbut the Steelers of today have fallen into the trendy traps of modern offenses with little use for a fullback. Draft Henry with absolute confidence this season if you have a top-five pick. Some teams also used them as receivers, and fullbacks like Larry Centers made a living catching passes out of the backfield. In a move many in the NFL community felt was inevitable, the Washington Commanders released quarterback Carson Wentz on Monday in a move that will save the team $26.12 million against their 2023 salary cap. Pittsburgh Steelers Stats: The official source for Pittsburgh Steelers game statistics . Once the Steelers free up a considerable amount of cap space, are eight free agents who could reinvigorate the roster in the 2023 season. He also made the Pro Bowl in 2013 and 2016, the last of which with the Titans. . Players active with the Pittsburgh . Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football, Pro-Football-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREE. The top photos of RB Le'Veon Bell throughout 2014 season. He made another Pro Bowl in 1993 but only rushed for half as many yards due to injuries. Advertisement In some form or fashion, the Steelers will need to add quality depth to . That's the equivalent of more than two seasons. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? '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. To prepare, we at Chargers Wire are previewing players from every position. 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. Today, Johnson is one of the former Steelers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In three of his four NFL seasons, Gurley has rushed for more than 1,100 yards and at least 10 touchdowns. Regular season. But he still turned in two more 1,000-yard seasons and recorded at least 800 yards from scrimmage in four seasons this decade. Emmitt Smith has held the record since surpassing Walter Payton's long-standing total in 2002. 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. Dudley could do it all on the field as he was just not a back but a defensive back, punter, and place kicker. Myles Jack 61 Minkah Fitzpatrick . The last two seasons, with now-departed James Conner the No. Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports. Feeling he had to listen to his boss, Kiesling had quarterback Jack Scarbath toss the ball which resulted in a touchdown to Goose McClairen. In 1984 while beating the Denver Broncos in the playoffs, Pollard ran for 99 yards and two scores, a game won by Pittsburgh 24-17. He had the highest usage rate among running backs at 35.8% and was third in red-zone touches with 61. 1, Pittsburgh didn't have a top-25 running back. 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. But it was his story of injury during the war that gave him notoriety at the start of his career. 10 on the Steelers' all-time rushing list with 3,549 yards. These quarterbacks have started at least one game for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The running back said that he was only trying to stimulate conversation about the topic but because of it he lost an endorsement deal with Champion Sports. Gordon averaged a career-best 5.1 yards per carry in 2018. 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. By, Tom Rothenberg/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. The Tigers picked up their sixth commitment for the 2024 recruiting cycle - and their first running back - Wednesday with the public . 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First running back gets drafted in the seventh round. 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. 22. The controversy surrounds what is called by many as the Greatest play in NFL history. Landry Jones (2015-2017) Tommy Maddox (2002-2005) Terry Bradshaw (1970-1983) The number of games they started during the season is listed to the right of their name: Season. Looking at an NFL game today, something seems to be missing. He posted more than 1,900 yards from scrimmage twice, in 2010 and 2013. Here's the final tally of Steelers Now's consensus preseason 2022 power rankings of AFC North running backs. Sowhos the greatest tight end in Pittsburgh Steelers history? The former Titan had only 28 catches for 294 yards last year . 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. They will be joined by this year's selection, making six for the 2022 season. Fuqua led the . 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. He ranks fourth all-time in franchise history for rushing yards and eighth all-time in receptions. He has six 1,000-yard seasons and six Pro Bowl nominations with the Eagles and Bills during the 2010s. 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. But during the Super Bowl seasons of 1978 and 1979, Sidney Thornton played a significant role in the Steelers' rushing attack. Winning three Super Bowls helps earn you a spot on this list too. Harris played 980 offensive snaps during the regular season . Abercrombie played one more season in 1988 with the cross state Philadelphia Eagles before retiring. His 6-foot-2, 230 pound frame made it virtually impossible for one defender to take him down. As a Steeler, Bettis crashed his way for 10,571 rushing yards and 78 rushing touchdowns, both second-best in team history. In the previous nine years, however, the Steelers had a top-15 player seven times. That meant Bell joined Marshall Faulk as the only players in NFL history with 1,350-plus yards rushing and 850-plus yards receiving in the same season. 9-Rocky Bleier. By the time the fourth quarter rolls around, it is easy to see why opposing defenses would wish they were somewhere else. 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. Wanting the jersey number 26 which he wore at Notre Dame, Preston Pearson held those digits so Rocky settled for No. 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 . At the time of the second injury, he was no longer with the Steelers but playing for the Chicago Bears and sued that teams doctor resulting in a $1.55 million judgment in favor of Hoge. Clemson running backs coach CJ Spiller got his man. If youve followed the Steelers, you've probably heard the term "Steelers Football." He joins Franco Harris and John Henry Johnson. Please see our Contributors and Sources page for data source details. The team has selected second overall once, and third overall four times. Gurley led the NFL in yards from scrimmage and won the Offensive Player of the Year award. In 1966 when the Fighting Irish won the national title, Rocky was a member of that team. Najee Harris warming to Steelers' running back-by-committee approach. Bleier starred in Super Bowl XIII with a touchdown reception and a recovered onside kick to seal Pittsburghs third NFL title. His rookie contract was voided after his fourth season, after just one in Pittsburgh, and there were opportunities to leave. Franco Harris gets most of the credit for that infamous incident, but Terry Bradshaws passing attempt on that play was originally intended for Fuqua who was decleated by Jack Tatum. But from 2015-16, he posted more than 1,000 rushing yards, 1,500 yards from scrimmage and at least 13 touchdowns each season. 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 . For the purposes of this article, I will be considering the following: Its tricky to piece it all together, but I think these are the best Steelers running backs of all time. The 30-year-old has failed to rush for 500 yards in four of his seven seasons in the NFL. LeVeon Bell made his mark with the Steelers running in this kind of offense. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. 'Top 10, he would not get laughs' Thirty-five picks elapsed before a team drafted a running back last year. Reports this off-season show he weighed in at 244 pounds from 232 last season. In 1979, he started 10 games in place of Bleier and ran for 585 yards and six touchdowns. There have been some running backs in Steelers history who had one or two good seasons in Pittsburgh, then went on their way. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a long history of smash-mouth football dating back to before they ever won their first Super Bowl. Fuqua was not an original Steelers having been drafted by the New York Giants and then traded to Pittsburgh. He is currently the third leading rusher in Steelers history. If it was Fuqua who the ball last touched, it would not be a legal catch by Harris according to the rules in 1972. 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. 4. Took pay cuts, and continued to stay. James Conner was thrust into the spotlight in 2018 when halfback LeVeon Bell held out for the entire season. Sproles has nearly as many receptions (460) as carries (516) since 2010, and he has 3,936 receiving yards. He was an example of how great players can not only break the rules and succeed, but sometimes even make up their own rules. He is more famously known for his post-retirement with ESPN as an analyst which he has excelled at and has become one of that networks finest announcers. 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. [3], List of National Football League career rushing yards leaders, Players with at least 10,000 rushing yards, Players with at least 1,000 postseason rushing yards. It was thought by the Steelers coaching staff and fans alike that Pittsburgh had found their new star running back. Bleier was an outstanding lead blocker as well as being able to run the ball well and also had solid hands as a receiver. Charles may have to wait awhile to get into the Hall of Fame because despite an 11-year career, his prime was rather short. During his career, he's averaged 128.9 yards from scrimmage per game. He spent much of 2019 injured, and team injuries across the board made it difficult to judge his performance fairly. Many teams even rotate three or more backs throughout the game, with all getting an equal number of carries. Today we ranked the Pittsburgh Steeler Running Backs throughout their franchise! James Conner finished his career in Pittsburgh as the #17 ranked rusher in Steelers history. Great Pittsburgh Steelers players such as Heath Miller, Bennie Cunningham, and Eric Green, who could count among the best NFL players ever, have gone down as some of the best tight ends in Steelers franchise history. He made nine straight Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team and finished his career as the leading rusher in team history and No.