Pittsburgh Steelers RB Kenneth Gainwell plays during the team’s Week 18 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Kenneth Gainwell used a one-year prove-it deal to do just that. Heading into free agency, it’s unclear if the Pittsburgh Steelers will be able to afford to keep him around.
NFL.com’s Kevin Patra put together a list of eight players who could be misvalued in this year’s free agency crop, tapping Gainwell as one of them.
“Gainwell is coming off a career-best 537 rushing yards with five TDs, while splitting duties with Jaylen Warren in Pittsburgh,” Patra wrote Wednesday. “His 47.4% success rate on rush attempts ranked sixth-best among all RBs (min. 100 carries). Gainwell proved his prowess as a receiving back in his first year with the Steelers, generating 486 yards — fifth-most among backs, behind only Christian McCaffrey, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and De’Von Achane — with three scores on 73 catches.”
Gainwell was voted as the Steelers’ MVP, posting 1,656 all-purpose yards, which ranked sixth in the AFC. Spotrac tabs Gainwell as having the market value for a two-year, $5.9 million deal.
Pittsburgh Steelers tailback Kenneth Gainwell practices on Friday at Acrisure Stadium. Ed Thompson/Steelers Now
“That dual-threat ability is extremely valuable,” Patra said. “However, Gainwell could be overlooked on the open market. The reality that clubs don’t generally want to spend on the RB position and the deep pool of backs ticketed for agency mean Gainwell could get lost in the shuffle.”
Breece Hall (New York Jets, $10.3 million), Kenneth Walker III (Seattle Seahawks, $9.0 million), Rachaad White (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $7.5 million), Javonte Williams (Dallas Cowboys, $7.3 million), Travis Etienne (Jacksonville Jaguars, $6.8 million), Rico Dowdle (Carolina Panthers, $6.5 million), Isiah Pacheco (Kansas City Chiefs, $4.3 million), Michael Carter (Arizona Cardinals, $3.1 million) and Brian Robinson (San Francisco 49ers, $1.1 million) all have higher average annual value projections than Gainwell ($2.9 million).
Warren said Gainwell is “everything you want in a player.” The former added that “we wanna do anything we can to make sure he stays here.”
Along with Atlanta Falcons edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie, Patra included linebackers Nakobe Dean (Philadelphia Eagles) and Leo Chenal (Kansas City Chiefs) as other players who could be undersold.
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