Steelers Have Pieces for Run Game Diversity
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In 2022, the Pittsburgh Steelers offense headed into the bye week as a 2-6 team that was staring at their first losing season under head coach Mike Tomlin. During their time off, Pittsburgh found its identity on offense: their running game.
With Najee Harris leading the charge, the Steelers leaned heavily on their first-round pick, finishing the season by winning seven of their final nine games.
There's no doubt that the Steelers rushing attack was effective after the break, as they averaged 146 yards per game on the ground during that span. This was a significant improvement over the first seven weeks of the season, something that also seemed to correlate with Harris' health after an early foot injury in training camp that seemed to linger for months to follow.
For as effective as they were on the ground, they were also fairly predictable. 76% of the Steelers' running plays last season were on zone rushing concepts. Their usage rate on such concepts ranked 3rd in the entire NFL, according to Sports Info Solutions. They only utilized gap-rushing concepts on just 20% of their plays, which ranked 31st in the entire league.
Long gone are the days of the Steelers hammering teams on duo plays, with Le'Veon Bell patiently allowing the double teams to work their way up to the mike linebacker. Pittsburgh, like many other teams, have been shifting their way towards a more zone-based attack, and since Harris’s arrival in 2021, they've shifted heavily in that regard.
It does beg the question. What is the difference between establishing an identity and being predictable?
The offense finished third in the NFL in rushing EPA/play, according to rbsdm.com, behind only Baltimore and Philadelphia. As a reference point, here are the Zone/Gap splits for the rest of the top five:
Eagles: 61% zone, 34% gap
Ravens: 36% zone, 60% gap
Falcons: 91% zone, 9% gap
Browns: 50% zone, 46% gap
As you can see, there are a bunch of different ways to formulate a successful running attack in today's NFL. It's worth noting that prized free agent signing Isaac Seumalo comes from one of the most diverse run games in all of football and has shown to be an asset on both gap and zone concepts alike. The biggest difference is that the Eagles prefer to run more inside zone concepts (and are significantly more QB-run-centric) whereas the Steelers rely more on outside zone plays.
For those curious about Broderick Jones's experience in these schemes, Georgia was also extremely diverse in the things that they ran on offense, having immaculate success on both zone and gap concepts. Jones is an NFL-ready run blocker entering the league, who already has grown man strength to his game to go along with some pretty remarkable movement skills for a man of his stature.
Harris led the league with 98 carries on outside zone rushing concepts, nine more than the next highest player which was the Vikings' Dalvin Cook. On those carries Harris averaged a respectable 4.3 yards per carry. Harris was third in the league with 79 carries on inside zone but was much less effective on these concepts, averaging only 3.6 yards per carry, an area that Pittsburgh surely will be looking to improve on next season.
Pittsburgh recognized it needed to make changes on offense, bringing in Seumalo, Allen Robinson, Jones and Darnell Washington. All of which should contribute next season. Matt Canada is entering his third season as the Steelers offensive coordinator, and after two underwhelming campaigns, his name will surely be on the hot seat if the Steelers don't have at least a league-average offense in 2023.
Most assume that there will be changes in the passing game with Kenny Pickett entering year two, his first offseason as the established starter for the squad. Will those tweaks filter down to a more diverse run game? Only time will tell. But with a first-round running back and a two-year overhaul of the offensive line intact, it's imperative that the Steelers are able to continually improve and be the driving force to a playoff-caliber unit.
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