Carter at camp: Toussaint is Friday's player to watch

One positional battle for the Steelers that might be flying under the radar during training camp is the struggle for the final running back slot on the depth chart.

While Le'Veon Bell is the undisputed starter and James Conner is a rookie who will certainly make the roster, the Steelers only have space for one more halfback and it comes down to a few options.

The two primary choices would be the most experienced option in this system, Fitzgerald Toussaint, who has been both the hero of a playoff victory and the goat of a playoff loss, and Knile Davis, the recent free agent acquisition.



Toussaint worked his way onto the roster from the practice squad in 2015 when the Steelers lost both Bell and DeAngelo Williams and needed to find someone to fill the role. He flashed the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and hit holes quickly enough to take advantage when the offensive line dominated enough to create a sizable hole.

What most people might remember him for, however, is his fumble in the fourth quarter of the AFC divisional round against the Broncos in the 2015-2016 playoffs. While that was unfortunate, the Steelers kept Toussaint and he filled in occasionally in 2016. He averaged 4.1 yards per carry, but only carried the ball 14 times.

Now in his third season with the team and facing the threat of his job being taken by Davis, Toussaint came into this training camp knowing he had to impress in a unique way. Both Bell and Conner being bigger running backs, that meant that his best opportunity is as a scatback style of runner who can add diversity to the backfield.

Which made it seem either planned, or the best coincidence he could ask for, that when Toussaint arrived at training camp, he appeared slimmer, quicker and faster than he did in 2016.

It makes sense, especially when you realize that the Steelers added Davis, a known speedster at halfback, to specifically fill that third option at halfback.

So what better way to counter the competition than fit the role they were acquired to fill, and apply your experience with the team as an advantage in the competition for the roster spot?

Toussaint has compounded his fitness with solid performance throughout camp. Among the running backs who have participated, none have been stellar pass protectors, but the closest to being the best at aiding the quarterback as a sidecar in the shotgun formation has been Toussaint.

The two major aspects to pass protection in that position are pre-snap communication to understand what gaps and assignments go with each audible and adjustment, as well as the physical execution of blocking the oncoming pass rushers.

Toussaint doesn't have the execution part in spades, but he has shown to be the best among the available running backs at identifying pass rushers and keeping up with pre-snap adjustments. Keep in mind that Conner has not been available for most of camp and that Bell has yet to report, so Toussaint just has to fend off newcomers who aren't familiar with the system.

The other obvious aspect of competition in training camp for halfbacks is how well each runs the ball in full team drills. Toussaint has made sure that no halfback has clearly outperformed him in this facet of the game. In Wednesday's practice, Toussaint took a counter-trap perfectly behind the offensive line for a huge gain, displaying both a solid read of the holes available and decent burst to get through the line.

When Toussaint takes the field on Friday night to face the Giants, all eyes will be on him to see if he can use his advantage of knowing the playbook to make him the clear-cut option or if he'll get blown away by Davis' speed.

As it stands, Toussaint is the starting halfback while the team waits for Conner to be ready and for Bell to report to camp. So for the time being, that makes the third halfback spot his to lose. If nothing else, Toussaint has taken as many precautions as he could in order to hold his spot.

That shows he's dedicated to both his craft and his role on the team. Now if that dedication can lead to consistency on the field, the Steelers may have one less competition to worry about in training camp.

But look for Toussaint to have to prove that his experience and familiarity with the Steelers' offense, along with his improved skills, make him more than marginally better than his competition. While other options like Trey Williams and Terrell Watson will be competing, Toussaint will have to beat out Davis, whose 4.37 time in the 40-yard dash is faster than Toussaint's 4.43 time.

If Davis can show that he is only marginally behind Toussaint, his speed might win him the job.