DeAngelo Williams Proving to Be Steelers' Best Offseason Acquisition in Years

The Pittsburgh Steelers are never major players during free agency, preferring instead to cultivate their own homegrown talent when possible. But their final game of the 2014 season taught them a valuable lesson—they desperately need a proven, veteran running back to back up starter Le'Veon Bell.

Bell suffered a knee injury in the team's final game of the season last year, keeping him off the field for Pittsburgh's playoff Wild Card Game against the Baltimore Ravens the following week. With no time to prepare, the Steelers signed free agent Ben Tate and relied on Tate and Josh Harris to handle rushing duties. It did not go well, with Pittsburgh putting up only 68 yards of rushing offense on the year.

At one point, the Steelers had a seemingly promising backup to Bell—LeGarrette Blount. But after he walked out on the team in Week 11, Pittsburgh cut him, leaving a void at the running back position. There was simply no one viable behind Bell, and that fact burned the team in the postseason.

	Atts.	Yds.	YPA	TD
Weeks 1-2	41	204	5.0	3
Weeks 3-8	22	106	4.8	0
Week 9	27	170	6.3	2
Total	90	480	5.6	5

Bringing aboard a veteran running back was therefore a top offseason priority for the Steelers in the spring. And they made perhaps the best free-agent acquisition of the Mike Tomlin era by signing DeAngelo Williams, who had spent the previous nine years of his career with the Carolina Panthers.

There were some questions about Williams' effectiveness, given that he turned 32 years old in April. But the Steelers signed him knowing they would need him with the league handing down a two-game suspension to Bell to open the season. And a slimmed-down Williams—he dropped 13 pounds during the offseason—has been nothing but a brilliant signing for Pittsburgh this year.

It was evident in those first two games, when Williams served as starter. He rushed a combined 41 times for 204 yards and three touchdowns, all of which he scored against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2. He then returned to a backup role but was still no less effective, totaling 63 carries for 310 yards and averaging 4.9 yards per carry heading into Week 9.

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In Week 8, Bell suffered a season-ending knee injury, which meant that Williams would again be called upon to start, this time for the rest of the year. Stepping in against the Cincinnati Bengals, he still racked up 71 yards on a mere nine carries. And in Week 9, against the Oakland Raiders, Williams was dominant.

Against a Raiders team that had allowed just 82.9 rushing yards per game on average, Williams alone ran 27 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns. He had a long run of 53 yards, a 6.3 yards-per-carry average and looked just as good as he did at the beginning of the season.

While he may have been overshadowed by the big day Steelers receiver Antonio Brown had as well as the foot injury suffered by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Williams' contributions cannot be ignored. The Steelers have already gotten their $1.435 million worth from Williams, and there are seven games left to play.

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Three times this year, Bell had surpassed the 100 rushing-yards mark, and there's been no drop-off in quality or quantity of rushing yardage with Williams on the field in his stead. This seamless transition means good things are ahead for Pittsburgh's offense, allowing it not only to compensate for Bell's injury, but also for however long Roethlisberger is out with his mid-foot sprain, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

Pittsburgh's free-agency moves are rare, and they're not often high-impact. But Williams has made the most of his opportunities with his new team. Now that the Steelers must lean on Williams' services, he's proving he can do anything they ask. The best backup running back in the NFL might now be one of the best starters at the position.

That's not bad for a 32-year old allegedly in the twilight of his career.