Leaner Benny Snell Jr. could be in line for increased role in Steelers’ backfield

In this uniquely 2020 way, the heads that were turned and the eyebrows that were raised were virtual. They were from afar. They were done not in person but by those scrolling through a Twitter account.

But make no mistake, when the Pittsburgh Steelers released the first photo of Benny Snell Jr. reporting to training camp late last month, those who follow the team closely did some double takes.

A lean, toned and slimmed-down Snell was virtually unrecognizable (though the mask covering the lower half of his face certainly didn’t help).

? Heinz Field@_BigBen7 | @rell_island6 | @benny_snell pic.twitter.com/hbRSiUbFxq

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 28, 2020

The obvious body change was noticed by teammates and coaches of the second-year running back.

“You can tell he put in a lot of work in the offseason,” veteran running back James Conner said. “He looks slim, fast, eager to learn. He looks ready, you know? I’m excited for him. He looks fast. He’s in shape. There will be big things coming from him.”

Maybe things coming from a package that is not as big as the 223 pounds he was listed at as an All-SEC performer at Kentucky, nor the 224 he’s pegged at on the Steelers’ roster. The 5-foot-10 Snell had 108 carries for 426 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie fourth-round pick last season.

The bulk of Snell’s touches (91) came during six games (against the Chargers, Bengals, Cardinals, Browns and Ravens) in which he led the Steelers in carries. The Steelers won five of those games, and Snell also had either a touchdown or a carry of at least 20 yards in all but one of the six.

“Benny Snell came in and did some good things for us his first year,” Steelers running backs coach Eddie Faulkner said, “and has only gotten better.”

James Conner gushing about how Benny Smell looks during camp workouts pic.twitter.com/OGwBxPNwvT

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) August 12, 2020

Snell has not yet been made available to media during this coronavirus pandemic-influenced training camp. But we can guess that the impetus for shedding some weight is associated with a desire to improve on Snell’s perceived weakness: speed.

Snell’s 4.66 time in the 40-yard dash at the 2019 NFL combine was tied for the fourth-worst among the 24 running backs in his rookie class who ran. While in a world of no open practices the appearance of a better-conditioned Snell hasn’t been verified to have been translated into better speed, that likely was the goal.

“It is true, Benny looks better,” Faulkner said. “He has done a lot of running. You can see the work he has put in. The exciting part about it is he did it while being away from us, so you know he had a focus on getting right and getting in the best shape that he can. So, I am excited with Benny. That is a guy that is passionate and loves the game. He will pick things up and he will hit the ground running this year.”

Last season as a rookie, Snell leapfrogged Jaylen Samuels as the No. 2 featured back behind the oft-injured James Conner. Snell would seem to have entered this camp in that same spot, though rookie fourth-round pick Anthony McFarland is another addition to the position room.

Ideally for the Steelers, Conner is healthy and in a featured role. That means the division of labor between Snell, Samuels, McFarland, new signee Wendell Smallwood and returnee Kerrith Whyte will need to shake itself out. While in the past, a bigger Snell was viewed as ideal for a niche as a short-yardage runner, perhaps the new-and-improved Snell could work his way into a third-down and/or pass-catching and pass-protection role.

“As far as his development, that is his next step,” Faulkner said. “He is a willing and very capable pass protector. But I want him to understand it like I do. When he makes that next step, he is heading down the direction of being complete because he has the good hands and he can protect and obviously, we have seen him as a runner. I think that will continue to improve with the shape he is in. And in turn, he will just get better with time. “

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