Steelers to Let RB James Conner Walk in Free Agency

James Conner with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Photo by Jason Pohuski/CSM/Shutterstock (10792540gm)

Back in 2018, it seemed like the Pittsburgh Steelers had their running back of the future in James Conner. He was putting finishing touches on his Pro Bowl season, and the absence of Le’Veon Bell wasn’t on anybody’s mind.

Just two years later, Conner is now the odd-man-out in the Steelers’ backfield and will reportedly be allowed to find a new team in the free agency.

According to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Pittsburgh is “unlikely” to re-sign Conner to a new deal and is already thinking about life past him. Pryor adds that the organization will address their running back needs with an early pick in the upcoming draft.

This isn’t exactly surprising news considering that the Steelers’ running game struggled in 2020 with Conner as their lead back. The 25-year-old player missed three games and averaged just 4.3 rushing yards per game when he was on the field. He also struggled to be a factor in the passing department, managing his lowest output since his rookie year with 215 yards and zero touchdowns.

James Conner entered the league in 2017 as the Steelers’ third-round pick. After being sparsely used in his rookie year, Conner delivered a breakthrough sophomore campaign that saw him fill in for Bell and earn a Pro Bowl nod in the process.

But Conner failed to build on this momentum and largely struggled in 2019. He only had 464 rushing yards while also missing six games due to injuries.