During the decade, he has 8,834 rushing yards five 1,000-yard seasons and 71 touchdowns. Bill Dudley also played with the Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins after leaving the Steelers, and finished his career with 3,057 yards rushing, 1,383 yards receiving, punted the ball for a total of 7,304 yards, and on defense intercepted 23 passes. If it was Fuqua who the ball last touched, it would not be a legal catch by Harris according to the rules in 1972. When running the ball, they often do so out of one-back sets and shotgun and pistol formations. The power running back is a dying breed in football. They will be joined by this year's selection, making six for the 2022 season. 2023 NFL draft: 4 running backs for Chargers to watch at Combine Who should be on top of the Steelers NFL Free Agency board? That's Steelers football. The former Heisman Trophy winner is another example of a highly regarded college back getting off to a slow start in the NFL. [2] He led the NFL with 576 yards in 1932 and held on to the record throughout his career. Lynch was an underrated pass-catcher in his prime too. Rocky Bleier came to the Steelers in 1968. Without further ado, here are the best 25 NFL running backs of this decade: It will be surprising to some that Johnson isn't a little higher on this list. Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Dudley owns 44 touchdowns to his credit. His best season came in 2015, which was the year after Williams departed, when he rushed for 989 yards and six touchdowns for the 15-1 Panthers. He made four Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team as a Steeler and inspired a Pittsburgh Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl XLone of the greatest wins in Steelers history. It worked perfectly with the maulers he had in front of him in Pittsburgh as he has some Xbox like highlight reels to show for it. Parker had a shot to lead the NFL in rushing in 2007, but he broke his leg in the regular season's penultimate game and finished with 1,316 yards. After a slow start (for a seventh overall draft pick from . As it is, he has 5,336 rushing yards and nearly 8,000 yards from scrimmage since coming into the league in 2013. Dick Hoak: The running backs coach for the Steelers for an incredible 35 years, Hoak was also an excellent player at the position he would spend so many years coaching up. Top 12 Fantasy Running Backs: Hall of Fame Week Edition Photos from the career of former Steelers running back and Hall of Fame finalist Jerome Bettis. The Pittsburgh Steelers have had some great tight ends throughout the franchises history. Williams recorded at least 730 rushing yards in a season four times during the 2010s, and he ended the decade with 4,246 rushing yards. At 244 pounds, Morris was a load running behind the offensive line and his numbers backed up his train rushing efforts. The controversy surrounds what is called by many as the Greatest play in NFL history. Bettis was team-first through some questionable demotions and worse decisions as to the direction of the offense, and he welcomed Duce Staley and mentored Willie Parker along the way to a Super Bowl championship to complete a quest his teammates had dedicated to him. Current team members are listed in bold. Pollard played most of his career at a time when the Steelers struggled. The Greatest Running Backs In The NFL Right Now (2021) He made another Pro Bowl in 1993 but only rushed for half as many yards due to injuries. Bleier was an outstanding lead blocker as well as being able to run the ball well and also had solid hands as a receiver. The Steelers will win 5 games this year, Canada will be fired, and Tomlin will "resign." . By Ross Kelly and Tony Adame, updated on October 18, 2022. The speedy running backs, the classic old power running back, and the mixed, well-rounded, good running back. | Le'Veon Bell was one of the best Steelers running backs of all time. 16 Best Pittsburgh Steelers Running Backs of All Time In the last 10 years, 10 different backs have led the league in PPR scoring. Sowhos the greatest tight end in Pittsburgh Steelers history? Pittsburgh has fielded plenty of those defensive units over the years, and there are more than a few Steelers defenders in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He spent much of 2019 injured, and team injuries across the board made it difficult to judge his performance fairly. Morris signed with Baltimore Ravens where he lasted just two seasons before the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs took a chance on him in 1998. MORE: 2023 Dynasty Rookie Rankings. Former season 27 " Dancing With the Stars " competitor John Schneider has returned to social media following the death of his wife, Alicia Allain. As an undrafted rookie in 2004, Bill Cowher took a chance on the 5-foot-10, 209-pound first-year player and Parker impressed sharing time with The Bus, Jerome Bettis. Franco Harris was a fullback, as was Merril Hoge and John Henry Johnson. PITTSBURGH (AP) Mike Tomlin wasn't ready to go there, with all due respect. WILLIE PARKER had difference-making speed at the NFL level, but because he wasn't built physically to withstand the 913 carries he got from 2005-07, he got worn down and then his speed wasn't as difference-making at the NFL level. While the team continued to utilize the same rushing attack that had earned them four Lombardi Trophies in the '70s, the cast of characters and the results were not the same. NFL Top 10 Best Running Backs of the 2010s - SOG Sports 12. Steelers honor Franco Harris by rallying past Raiders 13-10 Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Najee Harris Stats, News, Bio | ESPN Still young at 38 years of age, Zereoue stays in shape these days by playing soccer for a New York amateur club called the Central Park Rangers FC. With the 2019 season, there is still time to influence who lands where among a list of the best running backs of the decade. He posted 1,000-yard rushing seasons in each of the first three years of the decade. Some readers are probably going to argue this is too high for Forte. Ingram's best season came in 2017 when he posted 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns. While one is considered a fullback and the other a halfback, they share more commonalities than differences in their duties. Bullet Bill Dudley is also in the record books for the National Football League as the only man to run for a touchdown, catch a touchdown pass, return a punt for a score, run to the end zone on a kickoff return, intercept a pass for a pick-six, pick up a fumble and reach pay dirt, and throw a touchdown pass. He came to the Steelers after three seasons with the Rams which had earned him a reputation as a problem player. He'll continue to split time with Nick Chubb in the backfield, but the Browns are a run-first team that will use the talents of both. I enjoy the passing game, and I love that Ben Roethlisberger has matured into an elite quarterback, but it is hard for me to imagine there is a better way to play football than Steelers Football. Barkley reminded the NFL world this past season that he's one of the best running backs in the league by rushing for a career-high 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns. Murray made the All-Pro team and Pro Bowl that year. He also made the Pro Bowl in 2013 and 2016, the last of which with the Titans. He earned the Super Bowl MVP award after running for 158 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings in Super Bowl IX. He would end up moving to the Dallas Cowboys where he would get a chance to face off against his former team in two more Super Bowls (X and XIII). The number of games they started during the season is listed to the right of their name: These quarterbacks have the most starts for the Steelers in regular season games. If youve followed the Steelers, you've probably heard the term "Steelers Football." Steeler running backs Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier, Jerome Bettis, Willie Parker, Sidney Thornton and Rashard Mendenhall all helped bring Lombardi Trophies to Pittsburgh. In 1999 the Chiefs cut him and his life spiraled out of control with drug problems and jail time. CHARLESTON, W.Va. . But since then he has a pair of 1,000-yard rushing years and 4,545 yards on the ground in five years. Dick Hoak: The running backs coach for the Steelers for an incredible 35 years, Hoak was also an excellent player at the position he would spend so many years coaching up. Well, he's worth a lot more now. Dave Holcomb began working as a sports writer in 2013 after graduating from Syracuse University. This is a list of National Football League running backs by total career rushing yards, and includes the 31 running backs who have rushed for at least 10,000 yards, for which sixteen of them have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.. Emmitt Smith leads with 18,365 yards and is also the postseason leader with 1,586. Included are players that played for the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) from 1945-2022, the Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) from 1940-1942 and the Pittsburgh Pirates (NFL) from 1933-1939. Fuqua would have to be the most colorful player in Steelers history as well as the most controversial. Still, "CJ2K" comes in at No. Fuqua was not an original Steelers having been drafted by the New York Giants and then traded to Pittsburgh. Power Ranking AFC North Running Backs | Steelers Now But he's rushed for more than 1,000 yards in a season twice, and he led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns in 2016. There have been some running backs in Steelers history who had one or two good seasons in Pittsburgh, then went on their way. In 1944 he led Army to an undefeated record with 12 victories and was named the teams Most Valuable Player. Fran Rogel: For Steelers fans who watched the team in the 1950s they would be familiar with a famous nursery rhyme with a Pittsburgh Steelers twist. He amassed an incredible 449 touches in 2014 on his way to 1,845 rushing yards and 2,261 yards from scrimmage. But from 2015-16, he posted more than 1,000 rushing yards, 1,500 yards from scrimmage and at least 13 touchdowns each season. 1, Pittsburgh didn't have a top-25 running back. A good scoring drive based on running plays eats up the clock and keeps the ball out of the hands of the other team's offense. Fuqua to this day refuses to give his take on what actually took place. But since then injuries have slowed him, and he's averaging 3.6 yards per attempt. Tracy ran for 2,717 yards and 15 touchdowns in his time with Pittsburgh and caught 96 passes for 1,322 yards and 14 touchdowns. Here's the final tally of Steelers Now's consensus preseason 2022 power rankings of AFC North running backs. Every Tight End In Pittsburgh Steelers History, Ranked By Fans Williams had his first 1,000-yard season and averaged 13.3 ppg. The controversy arose when the ball deflected off of Tatum or Frenchy. Really, he will just be doing what teams like the Steelers did for decades. But he still turned in two more 1,000-yard seasons and recorded at least 800 yards from scrimmage in four seasons this decade. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. 'Top 10, he would not get laughs' Thirty-five picks elapsed before a team drafted a running back last year. Who Is The Best Wide Receiver In The NFL Right Now? Seasons: 90 (1933 to 2022) Record (W-L-T): 666-585-23 Playoff Record: 36-27 Super Bowls Won: 6 (8 Appearances) Championships Won *: 6 . Last year's offensive rookie of the year award winner, Barkley was close to perfect for fantasy owners. Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Pro Football Reference Database. His professional career started in 2007 when he decided to skip the last year of college and enter the NFL Draft. But he stayed. The 33rd Team. He spent his first year in the NFL with the Giants before coming to the Steelers in 1970. With a 3.5 yards per carry average and zero touchdowns, his rookie season was a major disappointment, but Gordon has answered all his doubters since then. List of Pittsburgh Steelers first-round draft picks - Wikipedia Switched Tyler Lockett the Running Back and it Jacked Him to 99 overall During the 2021 offseason, Pittsburgh declined to re-sign Conner, making him a free agent and creating an opportunity for the Arizona Cardinals to scoop him up. The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. By, Tom Rothenberg/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football, Pro-Football-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREE. All-time Receiving Leader: Hines Ward 1,000 rec, 12,083 yds, 85 TD . Always free! In his rookie season, Morris rushed for 836 yards and a 4.2 yards-per-carry average. r/steelers on Reddit: Najee Harris will have a 100yd game against the