Pittsburgh Steelers Expected To Re-Sign Jonathan Dwyer And LaRod Stephens-Howling
By Matt Shetler
The 2013 season was another disappointing one on the ground for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Despite the emergence of rookie Le’Veon Bell as the Steelers’ featured back of the future, Pittsburgh still finished 27th in the NFL with 1,383 rushing yards, 29th with an average of 3.5 yards per carry, and 25th in the league with nine rushing touchdowns.
Aug 29, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back
LaRod Stephens-Howling(34) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
One of the many areas of need for the Steelers entering the 2014 season is to upgrade the overall depth in the backfield as Bell is currently the only one under contract.
With that in mind, according to ESPN.com, the Steelers are expected to bring back both Jonathan Dwyer and LaRod Stephens-Howling next season.
Neither helped the Steelers out much in 2013 and if Bell would get injured again, it is a painful thought that the ground game could be left in the hands of both guys.
Dwyer, who was cut at the end of camp last season and then re-signed because of injury, finished the year with 49 carries for 197 yards, becoming the teams’ short-yard specialist.
Stephens-Howling had a pretty decent training camp but missed the entire season with a torn ACL. He is expected to be ready before training camp begins in July.
Neither guy gives the Steelers much hope when Bell isn’t available but does add a bit of insurance in case he does go down. Both guys will come very cheap as the Steelers have enough salary-cap problems to worry about.
I would still like to see the Steelers bring in a legitimate second option through the draft or free agency to carry the ball, but it doesn’t appear that will be the case.