RADIO
Jaylen Samuels 2019 Player Outlook: One James Conner Injury Away
6 years agoIf you asked me to describe what I look for in a later round running back, it would be Jaylen Samuels. He is on a very good offense with a good quarterback. He is one of the best pass catching backs in the league. He demonstrated an ability to be the lead back, averaging 18 touches in the three games James Conner missed in 2018. Samuels may very well have standalone RB3/Flex value as the lesser part of a 70/30 committee with Conner. While I have no delusions of Samuels ever commanding the workload that Conner did to start 2018, if Conner goes down, Samuels should see at least a 60% opportunity share in one of the league's best offenses. For what it's worth, I believe Samuels is a better football player than Conner. I am not suggesting that Conner will open the season as anything other than the lead back, but the Steelers have no allegiance to Conner if he falters. There is no sunken cost fallacy at play here; no draft capital dictating that Conner receives a longer leash. If Samuels opens the season with a pass catching role, he will have the chance to earn more work. If Conner were to sustain an injury, it's wheels up for Samuels. He is an excellent target as your fourth or fifth running back.
