The Steelers have signed running back Wendell Smallwood, per a club announcement. Smallwood, at the time of this writing, is the seventh running back on the club’s roster.
Amidst a flurry of opt outs around the league, Smallwood is enlisting himself to play in 2020. It’s possible that the Steelers are simply looking into new backfield options in advance of camp, but it’s also possible that the Steelers are bracing for more opt outs. Starter James Conner – who found his way back to the game after a battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma – will in fact play this year, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The status of the club’s other RBs remains to be seen.
Smallwood, who spent his early NFL seasons with the Eagles, joined Washington last year. In 15 games, he registered 22 carries for 81 yards, good for a 3.7 yards per tote average.
Goodness, do we have enough halfbacks? Someone almost has to be opting out, as Smallwood isn’t better than anyone on the current roster
It’s surprising Conner’s doctors would support his return with his weakened immune system. One of the biggest stars in WWE, Joe Anoa’i (aka Roman Reigns), took himself out of their Performance Center studios after recently recovering from his battle with leukemia. I doubt Eric Berry would be advised to play in the NFL this season either.