No one expected James Conner to be better than Le’Veon Bell, but here we are. Nine weeks through the NFL season and one of the league’s best running backs is on the Pittsburgh Steelers. And he isn’t wearing number 26.
But Conner never got a rookie season. He played 14 games in 2017, only to touch the ball 32 times. Behind Le’Veon Bell, finding reps has been nearly impossible throughout the years. DeAngelo Williams and James Conner have filled the role of “safety net” while Bell touched the ball 400 times a season.
So, finding his ground in his first season wasn’t much of an option.