Being the backup running back for the Steelers hasn't meant a lot of actual playing time in recent years -- barring some kind of injury.
After all, Le'Veon Bell led the league with 407 touches last year and James Conner is on pace for 361 this season.
But with Bell now completely out of the equation this season after allowing the deadline to play in 2018 to pass Tuesday, the Steelers know what their running back situation will be for the remainder of this season.
The backups, veteran Stevan Ridley and rookie Jaylen Samuels, got more playing time than usual in the previous two games because the Steelers (6-2-1) placed twice in a five-day stretch, but it could be back to business as usual when the team returns to action Sunday in Jacksonville against the Jaguars (3-6).
That assumes, of course, that Conner clears concussion protocol. He left last Thursday's 52-21 win over the Panthers in the third quarter and did not return. Conner returned to the practice field Wednesday -- the Steelers' first since their victory last week -- which is one of the steps in clearing concussion protocol.
But the question remains, what would the Steelers do now if Conner were to suffer a long-term injury?
"Even if Le’Veon would have showed up, we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do," Samuels told me Wednesday. "Now that we know he’s not showing up, we’ve got to continue to do what we’ve been doing. We’re winning. We shouldn’t change what we do."
The Steelers are comfortable with the Ridley-Samuels duo backing up Conner, who leads the AFC with 771 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. And both backups offer something a little different.
"I think it’s good," Ben Roethlisberger said of the team's running back depth. "We have guys who have NFL experience. We’ve got a young guy that’s getting experience. We’ll get them more and more reps and then we’ll do some stuff with five wides."
The "stuff with five wides," would include receiver Ryan Switzer, who has seen some time in the backfield, as well, running four times for 14 yards as the Steelers settled into not having Bell available this season.
But Ridley will continue to be the primary backup. He has 18 carries for 56 yards this season as the Steelers have sprinkled him in at times when Conner has needed a rare break.
Samuels, however, has been more involved in the past two games after Ridley lost a fumble Oct. 28 in a game against the Browns.
That gave the fifth-round draft pick an opening to get onto the field and he has responded with 10 carries for 26 yards. More importantly, the pass-catching specialist got involved in that aspect of the game against the Panthers last week, catching three for 22 yards, including his first career touchdown where he caught a screen pass, accelerated and leapt over defensive back Rashaan Gaulden at the 2, spinning into the end zone for a 7-yard score.
"I like the effort, especially on that particular play," Roethlisberger said of Samuels. "That was a screen pass but it wasn’t like it was a walk-in. It was combative. He had to jump over someone. He got hit. He held onto the ball. What a way to get your first one."
Samuels was happy with the play, as can be imagined. He kept the ball. But he knew catching passes wouldn't be a concern. After all, he caught 201 for 1,851 yards and 19 touchdowns in four seasons at North Carolina State.
The other duties of being a running back, however, have been something he's learning. He actually had fewer carries in college (182) than receptions as he split time with Nyheim Hines -- a fourth-round pick of the Colts.
Because of that, he struggled with some of the intricacies of playing running back. And it wasn't just picking up blitzers -- something he admitted in the spring he hadn't been asked to do in college.
"It definitely has gotten better. I’ve showed in some situations in the game, live situations, where I’ve picked up blitzes. I feel like I did pretty good," Samuels told me. "I want to continue to improve as a runner. I didn’t really do too much of that in college — playing true running back. It’s just making the right reads, making the right cuts and putting the ball where it’s supposed to go. That’s what I’m still working on."
Now, he'll continue to get that chance, especially on some passing downs. That might not have been the case had Bell reported and signed his franchise tag. Ridley or Samuels might have been released -- or in Samuels' case, placed on the practice squad.
They now have clarity in the situation.
"Yeah. We can only control what we can control," Samuels told me. "We come to work every day. Ridley, me and James, it’s our job. That’s what we’re supposed to do."