Steelers Finally Find a Punt Returner

It'll be understandably lost in the news that the always stingy Steelers have found a way to work out a $102 million contract with Ben Roethlisberger, but Pittsburgh likely also found its third-down back and punt returner for 2008 on Monday.

By signing Mewelde Moore, Pittsburgh has decided to go the free agent route to fill its running back need. The price is a tad steep for a team with cap problems: three years, $5 million and a cap hit of just over a million in 2008 (compared to a very inexpensive contract if Pittsburgh had drafted a backup running back), but Moore is a player whose best football may still be ahead of him, and he's shown signs of being a very solid running back on the rare cases that he's gotten a chance in Minnesota.

Moore has averaged 4.9 yards per carry during his four-year NFL career. And that gaudy average doesn't come from one or two long runs--he's never had a run longer than 33 yards as a pro. He's very comfortable as a third-down back--he has very good hands and enough speed and sneaky power to turn screen passes into first downs, which is why he has 116 catches in somewhat limited action.
But his biggest role with Pittsburgh in 2008 will likely be to fix the horrible punt return game that hasn't recovered since Antwaan Randle El bolted for Washington. Moore has averaged 10.4 yards per punt return for his career--more than a yard better per return than Randle El, and better than Randle El has had in all but one season of his career.

What Moore doesn't do is give the Steelers a clear power back to backup Willie Parker--he's pretty similar to Parker in size and style. Najeh Davenport is still on the roster, but if Moore is going to be the third-down back, the punt returner and maybe even a kickoff returner, than Davenport might be fighting for a job come September. If second-year back Gary Russell shows he can be a solid power back to backup Parker and Moore, than Davenport could end up looking like a costly ($1 million) insurance policy, especially if the Steelers can find another decent back late in the draft or as an undrafted free agent. It's a good draft for running backs, so while the Moore signing probably means Pittsburgh doesn't take a back early, there's still an opportunity to find another undrafted free agent, something that worked out well in the case of Russell and Parker.

There's reasons to dislike this signing: Pittsburgh still needs offensive line help more than anything, but Moore seems like a guy who fills a big need (the return game) while also offering some upside as a running back. Down the road this seems like a move Steelers fans will be liking come October.