With the change in Pittsburgh Steelers leadership from Mike Tomlin to Mike McCarthy this offseason, one position is getting a bit of a revival in the Steel City.
That would be fullback, a spot that wasn’t utilized much under Tomlin and his offensive approach spanning the likes of Todd Haley, Randy Fitchner, Matt Canada and Arthur Smith in recent years.
Now, with McCarthy overseeing the offense, the fullback is making a comeback.
That’s great news for Steelers rookie fullback and tight end Riley Nowakowski, who has the versatility to align all over the offensive formation. With the return of the fullback this season, the Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac believes playing time won’t be an issue for the fifth-round pick in the Black and Gold.
“MM [Mike McCarthy] is a big FB guy. That’s why they drafted Nowakowski on the fifth round,” Dulac wrote in his latest chat. “He has a chance to play as much as any rookie.”
McCarthy has leaned heavily on fullbacks during his career. Players like Korey Hall, John Kuhn, Aaron Ripkowski and even Hunter Luepke carved out significant roles at fullback under McCarthy in Green Bay and Dallas.
In McCarthy’s last season as the Cowboys’ head coach and play caller, Luepke played 30% of their offensive snaps. That might not seem like much, but that’s a big number for a traditional fullback.
If that carries over into Pittsburgh, even with the presence of two tight ends in Darnell Washington and Pat Freiermuth, that should mean significant playing time for Nowakowski.
He lined up often as an in-line tight end in Organized Team Activities and in minicamp, though he has dabbled in the slot. The more traditional fullback snaps will come during training camp when the pads come on. That’s where he has a chance to make a major impact.
He was a terrific blocker during Indiana’s run to the national championship last season, and that’s his calling card entering the NFL. We’ll see if he ultimately does play more than Max Iheanachor, Germie Bernard, Gennings Dunker, Daylen Everette, and more in the rookie class.
With how things look right now, the chances of that happening seem greater than ever, especially with the Steelers wanting to be that run-heavy, physical team once again.
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