Steelers can have Confidence in Ground Game without Bell

It’s a potentially legendary offense in the making…provided they can keep everyone on the field at the same time. Be it through suspension, injury, or sheer bad luck, Pittsburgh has struggled to keep the core of its explosive offense together. With another multi-game suspension for Le’Veon Bell looming, things seem bleak, but the Steelers can take solace in the depth players that will keep this ground game moving through the season’s first month.

All throughout Bell’s forgettable 2015 season, second-string tailback – and arguably free agent signing of the year – DeAngelo Williams, went above and beyond the expectations set for a 32-year-old running back.

Enjoying the starter’s duties for the first time in a long time (he mostly split carries with Jonathan Stewart during his prime years in Carolina), Williams totalled over 1200 yards from scrimmage and performed his celebratory endzone bow eleven times.

Now, DWill did end last season on the sidelines, and there’s no telling how quickly a running back over the big three-oh will fall off the proverbial cliff. But Williams has mostly enjoyed a low-mileage career, and his ability to shed tacklers, cut inside and follow lead blockers was as good as ever last year.

Williams is expected to share carries with Fitzgerald Toussaint, a third-year back who was pressed into service during the 2015 playoffs. The Bengals had no answer for Toussaint in the wild card round, who had over 100 yards from scrimmage and clearly did not let the spectacle of the occasion overwhelm him.

A world-beating depth chart it isn’t, but the Steelers will have just enough firepower in the backfield to keep opposing defenses honest, especially in the wake of their formidable air game. But perhaps the biggest factor in the team’s success on the ground will be the rebuilt offensive line.

With Maurkice Pouncey finally back in the lineup and hopefully at full strength, the rushing playbook can be expanded considerably. Pouncey is one of the few centres in the league athletic enough to peel off into trap and pull blocks right from the snap; a luxury not afforded to the Steelers when Cody Wallace had to fill in all of last year.

The Steelers have four starters ranging from extremely capable to elite in Pouncey, David DeCastro, Ramon Foster and Marcus Gilbert. Fill-in LT Alejandro Villanueva will probably compete with former Bronco Ryan Harris in training camp, but if any running back can develop good enough chemistry with this sort of O-line, he’ll spring free more often than not.

Bell’s decision was a stupid one, and it’ll hurt an offense pleading to have all its weapons back. But Coach Tomlin’s “next man up” philosophy hasn’t failed the team yet, and as a team, they’ll make the most of this opportunity.