Steelers might want to experiment with Le'Veon Bell-DeAngelo Williams possibilities
11:19 PM ET
Jeremy Fowler
ESPN Staff Writer
PITTSBURGH -- Let's try this again.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will soon get a second act with Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams in the same lineup for an extended period. Once again, Williams is balling in September, posting 303 total yards and three scores in Weeks 1 and 2, fresh off a career-high 32 carries in Sunday's 24-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The week before, in Washington, Williams touched the ball 32 times, with six receptions and 143 rushing yards on 26 attempts.
The Steelers likely will pound the rock for a third time Sunday at Philadelphia.
Then Bell returns from his three-game suspension, something he is anticipating on social media.
Williams won't be relegated to the sideline once that happens, right?
That's sort of what happened last year, when Williams averaged 2.6 carries per game during the five weeks with a healthy Bell, and 17 carries when Bell was suspended or hurt. Williams was still part of the game plan, but with Bell's return coinciding with Ben Roethlisberger’s knee injury, the Steelers kept Bell on the field for traditional sets with Landry Jones in the backfield.
This time, with Roethlisberger and Bell healthy, perhaps offensive coordinator Todd Haley can find a way to capitalize on both tailback's talents. Both players were on the field at times during the third preseason game at New Orleans.
Williams isn't sure how this is going to shake out, but he knows a two-back system can work. Williams and Jonathan Stewart employed one for years in Carolina.
"I think that the two-back system would work well here," Williams said. "But, you know … L. Bell is so dynamic when he plays the game that I don't want him to come off the field."
Williams' goal hasn't changed since he signed a two-year, $4 million deal in 2015 -- don't take any pressure off the defense whenever he enters the game.
As Cincinnati ran a cover-2 defense in efforts to minimize the passing-game threat, Roethlisberger kept feeding Williams, and Williams kept applying pressure.
Williams' head-down-and-pound running style was perfect for this kind of game: Soggy field, rain pouring, physical up-front matchups.
Defenses know how lethal Pittsburgh's passing game can be, so they load up in coverage and dare the running game to win. So far, Williams and the offensive line have done just that.
But, in the traditional sense, the Steelers seem to favor one primary back carrying the load. Williams was the only Steelers tailback with more than one carry Sunday (Fitz Toussaint and Daryl Richardson carried one apiece). And with Bell posting 2,200-plus yards in his last full season, he's tough to take off the field.
But as Williams continues to pile up yards, perhaps the Steelers can get creative with packages that feature Williams as a primary rusher and Bell as a pass-catcher. Bell has elite receiving skills for his position.
With Martavis Bryant out for the year and Markus Wheaton missing time, mixing up looks could be effective.
"We've got two really good players at the position," said offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who notes Williams' superb shape the last two years. "I think [Williams] would be starting for a lot of teams."
Williams has made clear he doesn't care about numbers of touches. When asked about surpassing the 10,000-total-career-mark Sunday, Williams basically shrugged: "It's yards, man."
But the Steelers could have a lot of fun with this two-back set.
"I am hunting and one thing and one thing only and that is a lowB repuS," Williams said.
