Player: RB Kenneth Gainwell
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: The Steelers repeatedly try to incorporate Kenneth Gainwell into the offense, but he hasn’t offered much in return for it. A runner, a receiver and a blocker, he hasn’t done any one thing particularly consistently well. He has about one rather good rep of each, both overall, his performance isn’t justifying his playing time.
The Steelers and perhaps OC Arthur Smith seem to have a curious fascination with Kenneth Gainwell, the veteran running back. Through two games, he has already played 56 snaps on offense, nearly half of the team’s total. And what do the Steelers have to show for all the effort they have invested in him? Not much.
On his 56 snaps, Gainwell has 18 touches. They do use him as a pass protector somewhat frequently, and he does know what he’s doing, even if he doesn’t always execute. Anyway, on his 18 touches, he has an astonishingly underwhelming 59 yards of offense. That’s a dismal 3.3 yards per touch, and applies equally to carries and receptions.
Gainwell has recorded 12 rushing attempts so far, producing all of 39 yards. He gained 13 yards on one run, which came in garbage time last week with 46 seconds to play. If you don’t count that run when the Seahawks weren’t even trying, he has 26 yards on 11 attempts. But they did run the play, so technically, it counts. And it still works out to 3.3 yards per attempt, just as his six receptions for 20 yards do.
Why is Kenneth Gainwell playing half the snaps if his play doesn’t merit it? Granted, it’s only been two games so far, but it’s not like he was a different player last year. The Steelers admit they were impressed with what he did against them last year. But there are few mistakes more egregious than believing what a player did to you is what he’ll do for you. Sure, he may run routes and have decent athleticism, but you still have to produce the necessary results. He isn’t, and hasn’t, and probably won’t.
With the regular season underway and the roster in place, it’s once again time to “take stock.” It took a while, but we finally saw some of that change the team talked about after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract. Oh, and they also traded some guy named George Pickens, which people found significant.
After a long offseason, we finally know what this Steelers team will look like for the 2025 season. The dust is long settled on both free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, and now we’re into the real thing. What final moves might the team make, if any? They’ve certainly made a flurry of moves, though some question whether they make much difference. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?
