Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin always wants a “bell cow” on his team, and after a couple of years of inconsistency at the running back position, he now has one Marlon Mack.
Najee Harris had a stand-out first year campaign. Save a few rookie mistakes, it would appear that the Steelers have found their guy for the foreseeable future. In the rollercoaster 2021 season, Harris managed to put up 1,200 rushing yards and 7 rushing TDs while hauling in the ball 74 times for a total of 467 yards — behind THAT offensive line. He barely missed a snap and didn’t have a regular season fumble. He did what he was expected to do and then some.
But that level of production isn’t going to be sustainable, and the Steelers know it. They cannot ask Harris to do this much going forward without risking injury, burn-out, or both. In an era where running backs have shorter and shorter shelf-lives, even a bonafide bell cow needs some help.
This puts the Steelers (who currently have more cap space than they have had in a generation), in an interesting position. This year’s roster of free agent running backs includes the likes of James Conner and Cordarrelle Patterson, who are both coming off of stellar seasons. There’s also big-names like Leonard Fournette and Raheem Mostert hitting free agency. One name, however, that is being overlooked is Colts RB Marlon Mack.
Now, if you’re a little foggy on Mack, it’s likely because Indianapolis has had an embarrassment of riches at the running back position for a couple of seasons. Jonathan Taylor (no explanation needed), Nyheim Hines, an effective pass-catching back, and Mack make up what can arguably be called the NFL’s strongest RB room. Taylor has settled in at RB1 and Hines as RB2, leaving Mack as the third option with few opportunities to see the field. The Colts allowed him to seek a trade last season, but none materialized.
Mack could be just what the Steelers need, and working with a dynamic back like Harris could benefit Mack as he tries to revive his career and make a play to be an RB1 somewhere in 2023. Consider this, before the Colts drafted Taylor, Mack was putting up solid numbers. In 2018, he had 195 carries for 908 yards, and in 2019, put up over 1,000 rushing yards. That’s nothing to scoff at. His 2020 season was derailed in Week 1 with a torn Achilles, and he re-signed the following year with the Colts and received little playing time.
The injury is a question mark, no doubt. But, the preponderance of the evidence would indicate that it wasn’t the injury holding Mack back in ‘21, it was just that Taylor is a budding star, and Hines carved out a nice role for himself. There simply wasn’t room for Mack to be a contributor. So, while there is some risk that he will never be the same as he was, there does appear to be some upside for a guy seeking to rebuild his career.
