The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to face some tough decisions in the near future, including whether or not to re-sign James Conner next offseason. According to Ed Bouchette of The Athletic, Conner's future in Pittsburgh could be in doubt.
Heading into the 2020 season, Conner is entering the final year of his rookie contract. With the Steelers being limited in cap space, it is going to be tough for them to give him an extension. At the same time, Conner has made it tough to trust him long-term due to his injury concerns.
Back in 2017, Conner was taken with the No. 105 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. When he was drafted, the Steelers took him to be a complementary running back to Le'Veon Bell. However, just a season later, Conner was thrust into the starting lineup, as Bell sat out the entire season.
In his first season as a starter, Conner rushed for 973 yards and 12 touchdowns. Also, he caught 55 passes for another 497 yards and a touchdown. Despite his impressive numbers, Conner would miss three games due to injury.
Then, in 2019, Conner would experience more injuries, being sidelined for six games. As a result, he would finish with only 715 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns.
Besides Conner, the Steelers have to begin thinking of ways to retain JuJu Smith-Schuster and Bud Dupree next offseason. It's important to note that Pittsburgh already has Jaylen Samuels and Benny Snell on the roster behind Conner.
Not to mention, they just drafted Anthony McFarland in the 2020 NFL Draft. Taking all of that into consideration, all signs point toward Conner being the odd man out for the Steelers in 2021.
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