RB Kerrith Whyte shows worth to Steelers sought him, but will he be back in 2020?

The first time Kerrith Whyte carried the ball in an NFL regular-season game, he showed burst and ran 21 yards.

It was the longest run of his rookie season, but it provided a glimpse of what Whyte can provide if deployed under the right circumstances. It also provided enough justification for the Pittsburgh Steelers to not forget about Whyte when formulating their offense for next season.

Whyte didn’t join the Steelers until Week 12, and he only played 41 offensive snaps (27 more on special teams), but he made an impact in his limited time.

Receiver Deon Cain and running back Kerrith Whyte bonded upon arriving in Pittsburgh last week. The newest #Steelers share a playmaking background in college that hadn’t shown up at the NFL level https://t.co/lWyJ7VTbIR

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) November 25, 2019

“Just being thrown into something is always more difficult,” Whyte said of his signing by the Steelers on Nov. 16. “So if I am here during the offseason, I feel like it would be very beneficial for me to really learn the offense in and out and all the scheme, stuff like that. But I am just happy to be here.”

Whyte was on the Steelers’ radar in the spring, when he was afforded a pre-draft visit with the team at their facility. Whyte shared the spotlight during his college career at Florida Atlantic with Devin Singletary, who in 13 games (including playoffs) during his rookie season amassed 1,103 yards from scrimmage for the Buffalo Bills.

Still, Whyte reportedly ran the 40 yard-dash in 4.36 seconds during his Pro Day. If official, it would have been the fastest of any running back at the NFL Combine.

?Can't Touch This ?

Kerrith Whyte with the 77-yd TD for @FAU_Football! pic.twitter.com/TrWo9SjK2R

— Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) November 11, 2018

Whyte, who played three seasons at Florida Atlantic, also had two kickoff returns for touchdowns, something the Steelers find valuable.

But the Steelers took Benny Snell in the fourth round of the draft, and Whyte ended up going to the Chicago Bears in the seventh round. He made the season-opening active roster but was demoted to the practice squad after not appearing in the first three games.

The Steelers eventually plucked Whyte off the Bears’ practice squad and immediately gave him a role in the gameplan and on kickoff returns.

His 21-yard carry — on the first snap he played — was a needed jolt for the running game. Snell’s longest carry of the season was 23 yards, and James Conner’s long was 25.

Similarly, Whyte’s 34-yard kickoff return in the next game was the longest of the season for the Steelers and their second-longest kick return since 2017.

“Guys like him that’s getting an opportunity to play week in and week out, it’s reasonable to expect, not only us to get to further know them and what they’re capable of, but also, it’s reasonable to expect them to improve,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of Whyte during December, “and improve rapidly.”

Whyte’s running, of course, is a small sample size, and it should be noted his three-carry, 1-yard performance in the season finale at Baltimore gave him 10 carries for 28 yards with no catches and a 19.0 average on kick returns over his final three games.

Still, according to Pro Football Focus, among the 85 running backs with at least 25 carries Whyte ranked 30^th in percentage of rushing yards gained on carries of at least 15 yards (30.3%). Four of Whyte’s 25 carries went for 10 or more yards, he also did not fumble or muff a ball and caught his only pass target.

It’s a small resume, but one hastily put on film during a six-game span Whyte said was frenzied.

“I was thinking to myself, man, these weeks actually flew by,” Whyte said. “Man, six games went by really fast. So I am just thankful for the opportunity, happy to get more comfortable around here — but never get complacent, though. I stayed on my Ps and Qs,. I’ll work hard each and every day and just try to attack the day.”

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