Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers are not surprised in the slightest by rising star running back Kenneth Gainwell.
The Pittsburgh Steelers dominated the Miami Dolphins 28-15 on Monday Night Football, and it was in large thanks to the play of running back Kenneth Gainwell.
Gainwell’s play may be surprising to some as the Steelers backup to Jaylen Warren, but head coach Mike Tomlin always knew they had something special in the fifth-year veteran.
“Saquon (Barkley) casts a pretty large shadow, but we played that football team, and Kenny made some significant plays in that game against us, converting third downs early in that game that produced scoring drives. I think he converted three third downs that transferred to 17 points,” Tomlin said. “What we saw was a guy who was a ball player first and had a nice skillset to do a lot of things and had some upside because of the ridiculous cast of shadow that Saquon casts. I don’t know that any of us are surprised by what he’s doing or what he’s capable of because we saw it firsthand, in stadium as an opponent.”
Gainwell, 26, did have a lot of success against Pittsburgh last year as he caught three passes for 40 yards and added another 20 yards on the ground with the Philadelphia Eagles.
He has translated that exact level of play for the Steelers this year as he leads the team with 57 catches and has proven to be a great complement to Warren, rushing for 451 yards and two touchdowns.
It’s safe to say Gainwell has already outplayed his mere one-year, $1.79 million contract that he signed in the offseason with still three games left to be played.
“I love playing with him. I really do,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “He’s as smart as they come. He’s super smart, and I still cannot believe what we got him for.”
The Steelers are going to have to pay up in the offseason if they hope to keep Gainwell past 2025, but they’re taking full advantage of the discount that they got him for this season.
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Always Knew They Had Something Special in Kenneth Gainwell: ‘Saquon Casts a Pretty Large Shadow’
