Offseason boredom and my discussion with Ross McCorkle on this week’s Depot Dive got me thinking about RB Kenneth Gainwell. His role in the offense isn’t fully fleshed out, but he’s a versatile player and capable receiver. [That much was proven](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/03/new-rb-kenneth-gainwell-believes-strong-performance-against-steelers-motivated-pittsburgh-to-sign-him/) against the Pittsburgh Steelers a year ago, catching three passes – all first downs – for 40 yards in a convincing win while a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.
With that in mind, could Gainwell catch more passes than he will carry the ball? Jaylen Warren and rookie Kaleb Johnson should handle the load as runners. Gainwell will have a role in the ground game, too, but if the depth chart stays healthy, Gainwell might not see many rushes.
Is there precedent? Running backs have caught plenty of passes in Pittsburgh, but could one really have more receptions? You might be surprised to know that since the 1970 merger, three Steelers have achieved this feat. With a minimum bar of ten rushes and receptions, here are the three who have pulled it off.
Year
Receptions
Rushes
Verron Haynes (2006)
18
15
Rodney Carter (1989)
38
11
Rich Erenberg (1985)
33
17
Some blasts from the past. Verron Haynes, Rodney Carter, and Rich Erenberg. Haynes is the most recent, and even then, his occurred before the Mike Tomlin era. He also has the fewest receptions of the trio. Haynes was a third-down back, especially late in his career, and was often forgotten about playing behind Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley.
The two before occurred in the mid-late 80s, right around the time when pass-catching backs were in their prime. Roger Craig, Larry Centers (though his run came in the 90s), and even in Pittsburgh, fullback John L. Williams. Carter fit that bill. Listed as a running back, he functioned more like a wide receiver and nearly had more receptions than rushes in 1988.
But in 1989, he achieved the mark by a wide margin. Carter caught three or more passes in seven games while only carrying the ball 11 times all year, his “high” a three-carry performance against the Kansas City Chiefs. He finished the year with three receiving scores to one rushing. Here’s one of them, [a touchdown on a wheel route in a win over the Cleveland Browns.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=l-88ELfi6iE&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fsteelersdepot.com%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY)
Erenberg was the first. A more true runner than Carter, he carried the ball 115 times in his rookie season. But he was involved in the passing game from the get-go with 38 receptions that year. In 1985, he took a backseat to Frank Pollard and Walter Abercrombie, notching just 17 rushes to 33 receptions. Like Carter, he scored three times through the air.
I thought Mewelde Moore might make this list, but he fell just shy. In 2010, he finished with 33 receptions and 26 rushes.
Can Kenneth Gainwell be the fourth? Even as a pass-catching back in Philadelphia, he wasn’t close. His closest mark came as a rookie in 2021, rushing 68 times while recording 33 receptions. Not even halfway there. With the Steelers, he doesn’t figure to catch a _ton_ of passes in that more reserved, No. 3 role. His ceiling might be 35. But Aaron Rodgers likes finding his checkdown; it’s one reason why his snap-to-throw times are so quick, and Pittsburgh will lean on Gainwell’s ability to split out and function like a wide receiver.
Of course, if injuries press Kenneth Gainwell into a larger role as a runner, he has no chance at achieving this feat. He and everyone else in the backfield must stay healthy. In that scenario, coupled with one where Gainwell carves out a routine pass-catching role, finishing with, say, 40 rushes and 43 receptions is the most realistic scenario in which he becomes the fourth Steeler post-merger. Even that hypothetical is pushing it, but it’ll be one number we’ll track during the season. In its own way, it’ll be pretty cool if Gainwell even comes close.