The Facts: Conner’s performance in Le'Veon Bell's absence in 2018 showed that he didn’t feel overwhelmed by the trip up the depth chart and he confirmed that he wasn’t stressed by the new role. “It’s what I have always asked for,” Conner said, via the team’s website. “Not the situation it was. I didn’t ask for that. But the opportunity to be a starting NFL running back. I didn’t really feel any pressure because it was everything I was asking for. I didn’t look at it as pressure because it’s what I wanted. It was a great opportunity.”

Diehards Line:There’s been a lot of discussion about what sank the Steelers over the last few weeks, but little of it has had to do with the fact that Bell never reported to the team this season. As PFT's Josh Alper suggested, that’s probably not what many people would have predicted at the start of the year, but Conner‘s play pushed running back well down the list of concerns in Pittsburgh as the year unfolded. The second-year back missed three games with an ankle injury, but ran 215 times for 973 yards and caught 55 passes for 497 yards and 13 touchdowns in the other 13 games. Conner made the most of it and that means the Steelers don’t have to worry about running back while sorting out the Antonio Brown situation and the other factors that led to their disappointing finish to the season.