With James Conner out this weekend for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it's going to be rookie Jaylen Samuels who will be taking on a bigger role. Samuels has been preparing for a moment like this and is so confident in the way he has prepared for each game this season, he doesn't think he needs to change what he is doing this week.
“I've always got to prepare the same way, because you never know what will happen,” said Samuels via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. “I had to be 100 percent prepared like I was going to start. Keep doing the same thing I've been doing the last couple of weeks.”
Coming out of college Samuels was a very good pass catching back and although at times his actually running between the tackles has left something to be desired, this is a huge threat out of the backfield. Samuels plan is to use that pass catching to his advantage and hope he can get the ball out in space.
“Do what I've been doing all my life, getting in open space, catching the ball,” Samuels said. “[Roethlisberger's] one of the best. He's smart. When you're out there with him, you can't do nothing wrong, really. You should feel confident to play fast. He makes you play fast.”
Samuels will get the majority of the chances against the Oakland Raiders but the team also has Steven Ridley who has had 18 carries on the season who could serve a bigger role. Ridley could also take on more of the running role while Samuels is used as a pass catching back out of the backfield.
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