Is Isaac Redman Done in Pittsburgh?
Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
After he earned the “co-starter” job at running back in training camp for the Steelers, not much has gone right for Isaac Redman. The 2009 UDFA was held out for most of the preseason due to a stinger, and Redman’s fortunes only got worse once the regular season began.
On opening weekend, Redman fumbled twice, including once in the red zone. In Pittsburgh’s following game, the veteran was injured on the opening kickoff and recorded only three carries for four yards. Unfortunately for Redman, his worst play of the season came last night when his failed blitz pickup led to the game-winning sack-strip of Ben Roethlisberger.
Overall, Redman has only carried the ball 10 times for 12 yards through three games, and he received zero carries last night against the Bears.
Jonathan Dwyer on the other hand played hungry on Sunday and stepped up as a pass-blocker and all-around running back, Felix Jones showed nice bursts out of the backfield despite his second half fumble, and rookie Le’Veon Bell is set to return to the lineup from his foot injury on Sunday as well.
If Redman is essentially a non-factor with Bell out of the lineup, then one must ask how much work will he receive when the rookie is actually active for upcoming games?
Furthermore, will the Steelers’ brass actually keep a veteran like Redman on their 53-man roster over Derek Moye, extra offensive linemen, or another cornerback for depth purposes?
While I certainly do not know what is going through the minds of Kevin Colbert and the rest of the people in the front office, I think that Redman losing playing time to Dwyer and Jones speaks volumes about how the coaching staff views the fifth-year running back.
Whether or not they will release him before the regular season ends is up for debate. What is not however is the growing certainty that Redman is playing in his final year with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Stats & Info. Provided By: ESPN.com, Steelers.com and Pro Football Reference
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