Have the Steelers unlocked something with Kenneth Gainwell?
Kenneth Gainwell has seen a career high in snaps in two games this season with the Steelers, posting career numbers in both. He has two career 100-yard games and two career two-touchdown games. Both of them are the same games in which he saw 41 snaps with the Steelers this year.
One was last week, when Gainwell totalled 105 yards from scrimmage against the Bengals. That included 81 receiving yards, which was by far a new career high; his previous high was 58. Earlier this season, in a game he started for Jaylen Warren, he rushed for 99 yards with 35 receiving yards. In the earlier game, he rushed for two touchdowns. In the later game against the Bengals, he had two receiving touchdowns.
With five total touchdowns on the season, Kenneth Gainwell is now tied with DK Metcalf for the most total touchdowns for the Steelers. While his career high is six touchdowns, he still has seven more games to pass that mark.
So the question is, have the Steelers unlocked something in Gainwell? Perhaps something that he never quite fully exploited while he was with the Eagles? While his yards per play won’t wow you, his highlights might. Even at 4.0 yards per carry, he is recording a run success rate of 55.7-percent. Considering he was under 40-percent each of the past two years, that’s a welcome sight. Then again, he has just a 33-percent success rate on his receptions, but that’s partly a function of the quality of targets he’s seeing with the Steelers.
With 448 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns, plus a forced fumble on special teams, Kenneth Gainwell has already proven his worth to the Steelers. But are they getting more than other teams might have bargained for when he hit the market? And what would happen if he regularly played 40-plus snaps per game?
After another disappointing season and months of retooling, the Steelers are set to try it all again in 2025. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers isthe quarterback question. They settled in on Aaron Rodgers, but we still have a lot to learn about him. The2025 NFL Draft class could play a big role, but veteran additions like Jalen Ramsey will be paramount.
Now we are in the regular season. From Rodgers to George Pickens to Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ramsey, we’ve seen the Steelers make some big changes. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and figuring out how it all works out.
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