Pittsburgh Steelers: How will Felix Jones fit into crowded backfield?
By Matt Shetler
With injuries running rampant in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ backfield, general manager Kevin Colbert made the necessary move on Friday to add depth at the running back position by dealing for former first-round pick Felix Jones from the Philadelphia Eagles.
While it’s unknown if Jones will see any action Saturday night as the Steelers host the Kansas City Chiefs, the more important question is where exactly Jones fits into the current Steelers backfield?
Dec 30, 2012; Landover, MD, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Felix Jones (28) runs the ball during the first half against the Washington Redskins at FedEX Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA Today Sports
With rookie Le’Veon Bell injured and the Steelers not really thrilled about heading into another season with Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer splitting carries, the opportunity is there for Jones to revive his career.
But I wouldn’t expect great results.
Jones has a different skill set than both Dwyer and Redman, meaning he is much faster, but I don’t see him taking too many carries away from either guy when the Steelers open the season Sept. 8 against the Tennessee Titans at Heinz Field.
I also don’t foresee him taking any snaps away from LaRod Stephens-Howling on third downs.
Basically that means that Jones is around simply as a depth piece, in case of more injuries to the current running back core. With Redman and Stephens-Howling also banged up over the course of the past couple weeks, Jones should get a little bit of opportunity to show what he can do.
But so far he has been very underwhelming in the NFL, as you can see by his career stats.
Felix Jones’ Career NFL Stat Line |
CarriesYardsYPCReceptionsReceiving Yards2008302668.921020091166855.91911920101858004.34845020111275754.53322120121114023.626266
Jones did play in 16 games last season, which is a rarity for him as he usually suffers from nagging injuries, but his 3.6 yards-per-carry average isn’t something to be encouraged about, especially joining a team that finished 26th in the NFL in rushing a season ago.
The speed of Jones is very intriguing, but he hasn’t been able to put things together in the NFL as to date, which leads me to believe that won’t change much even though he will now wear the black-and-gold.
The best case scenario is that Jones will get a few series here and there as a change-of-pace back for Redman and Dwyer and since he can catch the football, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him involved in the Steelers passing game every now and then. He’s also returned kicks in the past so that could be an option. But I wouldn’t expect to see a whole lot of Jones on the field unless more injuries dictate it necessary.
Whenever Bell does return, I wouldn’t expect to see Jones very much at all.
Of course, if the offensive line doesn’t start performing better, it really won’t matter much who the Steelers’ running back is.
Stats courtesy of ProFootballReference.com