Isaac

Redman

Redman is expected to handle one series per half, some third downs, and short-yardage duties everywhere but the goal-line. The Steelers coaches are rewarding him for his continued improvement, but this isn’t a major concern for Rashard Mendenhall owners. OC Bruce Arians assures that the offense will “run through” Mendenhall.

According to ESPN’s Josina Anderson, Mendenhall is not expecting to give it a go. La Canfora reports Isaac Redman will draw the start at running back even if Mendenhall is active, much like the situation with Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter last weekend. Going up against the NFL’s eighth ranked run defense as a backup at best, Mendenhall is best left on your bench unless you simply have no alternatives. We will learn his final status some time in the next two hours.

According to beat writer Ed Bouchette, the Steelers have activated Rashard Mendenhall (hamstring) but “hope they do not have to use him.” They’ll lean on Redman and Jonathan Dwyer early in the game, ideally not even bringing Mendenhall off the bench. Redman should be in line for 18 touches at the very least.

The good news is Redman didn’t appear to have his leg fallen on at the end of an eight-yard run. He has 15 rushes for 49 yards and 12 receiving yards on the day. Jonathan Dwyer had an explosive 76-yard run and has outplayed Redman for most of the game.

He can at least get what’s blocked. Redman suffered a painful leg cramp in the third quarter, and Jonathan Dwyer finished out the game at tailback. The injury is not believed to be serious, but the Steelers didn’t need to risk it with a sizable lead. Rashard Mendenhall looked relatively healthy on the sidelines and Redman didn’t do anything to pass him on the depth chart, so we may not know Pittsburgh’s Week 6 feature back until later next week.

Isaac Redman is still the heavy favorite to open the season as the feature back, as the free agent market is now paper-thin and the Steelers won’t add a runner early in the draft. One possibility is adding a third-down back in case Mewelde Moore isn’t re-signed and Baron Batch isn’t ready for the role.

With Rashard Mendenhall’s 2012 season in doubt, Redman sits atop the depth chart at tailback and could be in line for a heavy workload. Kapinos returns as the team’s punter. McLendon will play second-fiddle to Casey Hampton.

Redman’s 32-yard run in the third quarter was ruled a touchdown on the field, but overturned once replay showed his knee was down a yard shy of the end zone. Mike Wallace punched it in on an end-around one play later. The Steelers lose nothing with Redman playing in place of Rashard Mendenhall. Mendenhall tore his ACL in Week 17, so he may be headed for the PUP list. Redman will offer some intriguing early-season potential in 2012 fantasy drafts.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports Mendenhall’s knee sustained no other damage, and that he will undergo surgery in 1-2 weeks. The news dings Pittsburgh’s hopes of advancing through an AFC Playoffs sure to be fraught with inclement weather, but is hardly a death blow for the Steelers’ pass-heavy offense. Mendenhall surpassed 20 carries in a game just once all season, and was at times outplayed by Isaac Redman. Although his injury is less severe than Adrian Peterson’s, Mendenhall will be in a race against time to be ready for Week 1 2012, and is a candidate to begin the year on the PUP list.

With Rashard Mendenhall (knee) out, Redman and rookie John Clay are the only healthy backs in Pittsburgh. Mewelde Moore’s (knee) status is unknown. Redman, an annual camp darling that earned the nickname “Red Zone” for his goal-line prowess, has also made major strides in the passing game. Additionally, he’s averaged 4.5 yards per carry on 162 career totes. The drop-off between Redman and Mendenhall won’t be severe.