The Pittsburgh Steelers are not taking any chances this season based on the number of talent they currently have on their roster. Recently, the team signed running back Karlos Williams to its practice squad.
Before joining the Steelers, Williams was with the Buffalo Bills. He was eventually released during the preseason after he reportedly showed up during a training camp while he was out of shape. He was also slapped with a four-game suspension after violating the league's substance abuse policy.
Signing Williams to the Steelers' practice squad was an interesting move employed by the team. For one, it shows that the team is loading up on talent just in case its main running backs Le'Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams get injured.
But, given the way the Pittsburgh organization thinks, Williams may not only serve as an insurance policy for the team. After all, the team is known to experiment with its running backs, just like what it did with the tandem of Bell and DeAngelo.
In other words, there's a huge chance that Williams will eventually get promoted to the team's active roster within the next few weeks. Once this happens, the Steelers will most likely experiment with interchanging Williams and Bell on the field, potentially leaving DeAngelo to spend more time on the bench.
But, depending on Williams' performance, he could even get promoted to the team's starting spot, potentially replacing Bell. If this happens, the Steelers will find itself in a very lucrative position. Aside from gaining a new starting running back, they will also have high-value trade options in the form of DeAngelo or even Bell.
Placing either of these two athletes on the trading block could then allow the Steelers to demand for quality draft picks next year. The team could then use these draft picks to get another running back or a highly sought after quarterback.
But, before this happens, Williams will still have to show that he's worthy to be on the active roster. In the meantime, Bell and DeAngelo will serve as the Steelers' go-to running backs as they head into Week 6 against the Miami Dolphins.
