Wavier wire pickups are normally ho-hum affairs. Then there’s Steelers free agent Jordan Todman. He’s special. Why? Because Kevin Colbert’s decision to pick up Todman off of waivers sparked a major emergency in Steelers Nation.
Yet in a few hours, Jordan Todman will be an NFL free agent, and yet there’s been barely a whimper out of Steelers Nation as to whether stays or goes….
Capsule Profile of Jordan Todman’s Career with the Steelers
September 7th, 2015 a day that will live in infamy for Steelers Nation….
…Unless it doesn’t. What the hell are we talking about? Well here’s a refresher. On September 6th, Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert released the Steelers initial 53 man roster and the entire Steelers 2015 draft class made the team, save for 7th round safety Gerod Holliman. Then Pittsburgh’s South Side experienced its own Pearl Harbor….
- Kevin Colbert found a running back he liked and signed him from the waiver wire.
The running back was Jordan Todman and his arrival in Pittsburgh meant the Steelers had to cut someone, who happened to be Doran Grant, the Steelers 4th round pick from 2015 NFL Draft. The crisis that ensued on Twitter and other social media channels leaves one to shudder to imagine what it would have been like had social media existed back in 1997, when Rod Woodson departed as a free agent……
- Yet, after all the sound and fury, the Steelers added Todman to their backfield, and there he remained in relative anonymity.
Le’Veon Bell began the season suspended, DeAngelo Williams ran strong in his place, Bell got injured, Williams continued to pick up the slack, Dri Archer got cut, Williams continued to carry the Steelers running game on his 32 year old legs. It didn’t matter. Todman remained on the bench.
- Mike Tomlin openly admitted that he wouldn’t risk the Steelers success by attempting to groom Todman or Fitzgerald Toussaint by giving them carries
Then of course came the Steelers regular season finale vs. Cleveland Browns, where DeAngelo Williams got hurt. The Steelers didn’t need to rush much to beat the Browns, but suddenly, the Steelers were down to their 4th and 5th running backs, and the playoffs were a week away….
- In the Steelers playoff win vs. the Cincinnati Bengals, Jordan Todman his first taste of the NFL post season, and he did not crack.
Far from it. The Steelers handed the ball to Todman 11 times, and he gained 65 yards and generally ran the ball strong. In the playoff loss to Denver, Todman didn’t fare as well, but there’s a reason why Denver defense powered the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory.
The Case for Steelers Keeping Jordan Todman
The 2015 Cincinnati Bengals defense will not go down alongside the Four Horseman, Monsters of the Midway, or Purple People Eaters but they have the NFL’s 7th best rushing defense. While 11 carries does not a Merril Hoge’s vs. Denver inspirational performance make, getting 5.9 yards per carry in your first NFL playoff game is respectable.
Moreover, Todman has experience, having made over 100 carries before coming to Pittsburgh. The Steelers opened the season with a backfield that was two players deep in 2015 and it hurt them, Todman shows that he can be a viable insurance policy.
The Case Against Steelers Keeping Jordan Todman
Steel City Insider’s Matt Steel has the knock on Jordan Todman, explaining:
Just about every time Todman entered the game during the playoffs, teams would know he was going to run because they couldn’t put him in a position to pass-block. Todman put up great rushing numbers with his touches but the staff doesn’t trust him to block, and rightfully so.
Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, Markus Wheaton, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Sammie Coates look to give Ben Roethlisberger and incredible arsenal of weapons in 2016. But if there’s one thing that the Steelers offense could not, and should not allowed to become it is one dimensional.
- And when a player, by default, telegraphs whether it’s a pass or running play, your offense is one dimensional.
This would be true under normal circumstances, but Heath Miller’s retirement heightens the importance, because Heath Miller caught the ball 72% of the times it was thrown to him, making him an incredibly reliable target regardless of the situation. Nothing personal Mr. Todman, this is a business decision.
Curtain’s Call on Steelers and Jordan Todman
Jordan Todman’s performance in the playoffs vs. Cincinnati confirms that Kevin Colbert gamble of exposing a 4th round pick to the waiver wire to sign him was a wise one. But Matt Steel’s point is also quite valid.
- The Steelers are in a good position with Todman.
No other NFL team is going to rush to sign him this afternoon when he can officially join another team. Nor is Todman going to come in the second wave of free agent signings.
- There are some NFL free agents that teams can wait to sign, usually up until or even after the draft.
That’s the category that Todman fits into. The Steelers have the luxury of looking around the league for someone else to challenge Fitzgerald Toussaint for the 3rd string running back slot. They can even consider drafting someone. And if neither of these two things work out, there is a strong chance Todman will still be looking for a job in late spring or early summer.
Free agency go your head spinning? Check out our Steelers 2016 free agent tracker and/or click here to read all articles on our Steelers 2016 Free Agent Focus section.
