Mike Tomlin ready for James Conner to resume 'featured runner' role in 2020

Mike Tomlin’s preference to have a workhorse runner in the Pittsburgh Steelers backfield was tested last year because of injuries to starter James Conner.

As he prepares for his 14th season as coach, Tomlin sounds like he’s ready to stick with his tried-and-true approach — with Conner again leading the way.

Tomlin addressed the running back situation Thursday during a 15-minute conference call with members of the Steelers Nation Unite Huddle fan group.

“I’m a featured-runner type guy by mentality,” Tomlin said when asked about his plans at running back for the 2020 season. “I think that when you have a featured runner, it gives him the opportunity to drop a stake in the ground and allows others to rally around him, and it gives him a set of core base run plays that he specializes in, and you find a rhythm that way.”

That philosophy was implemented when Tomlin was hired in 2007 with Willie Parker serving as the Steelers featured back and spanned the tenures of Rashard Mendenhall and Le’Veon Bell. Conner moved into the role in 2018 when Bell sat out the season in a contract dispute, but he was limited to 10 games and 116 carries last year because of shoulder and thigh injuries.

The Steelers return their five top running backs from last season, including Conner, Benny Snell, Jaylen Samuels, Kerrith Whyte and Trey Edmunds. They also drafted Maryland speedster Anthony McFarland in the fourth round.

“No question in today’s game, a featured runner needs to be supplemented and supplemented by guys who are capable of doing similar things in case he misses time and some that are capable of doing different things and challenging defenses in different ways,” Tomlin said.

“That’s the makeup of our group right now.”

Snell subbed for Conner several times last year and finished second on the team with 426 yards on 108 attempts. Samuels, used mainly as a receiver and in an occasional wildcat role, gained 175 yards, followed by Whyte’s 122 and Edmunds’ 92.

Tomlin did not mention Samuels, Whyte or Edmunds when dissecting his running backs. He described McFarland, who ran a 4.44 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, as having “cat quickness and is capable of producing big plays in open space.”

Tomlin added that new fullback Derek Watt could play a role in the backfield.

“We’re excited about what the group is going to do largely,” Tomlin said. “Usually when it’s going well, it’s because you have a lead dog out front, and that guy is the featured runner.”

Conner, who rushed for 973 yards and made the Pro Bowl two years ago, apparently will be the “lead dog” in 2020 with Snell waiting in the wings.

“James is a featured guy and proven runner when healthy,” Tomlin said. “We’re excited about him getting back to health and displaying that in 2020. Benny Snell is a guy that is capable of being a featured runner who plays with a physical style in a similar manner to James. He’s capable of being a James-type of guy if James is unavailable.”