Steelers Running Back Changes His Jersey Number
Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell is switching his jersey number from 21 to 14. Wide receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig will now be wearing number 21. The Steelers announced that they signed Lemonious-Craig yesterday, on May 27th. During his time with the Philadelphia Eagles, Gainwell also wore number 14. The number was not available for him when he joined the Steelers because George Pickens wore jersey number 14. However, on May 6th, the Steelers traded Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. The trade freed up number 14.
The Steelers signed Gainwell during free agency in March. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spoke about adding Gainwell to the team. Tomlin remarked, “Obviously, the acquisition of Kenny Gainwell is something that we’re really excited about.” He added, “That’s a guy that we’ve competed against. Man, it seems like he made a bunch of significant plays in the flat against us a couple of months back that were significant game-altering-like plays.” Gainwell is excited to play for the Steelers. He said, “I love the toughness of this team, the toughness of this brand of football.” He added, “And really, just coach Mike Tomlin, I grew up watching the Steelers every Sunday, seeing the Steelers on TV, and that just really drew my interest.”
Analysts predict that Gainwell will enter this season as the Steelers’ number three running back. Jaylen Warren and Kaleb Johnson are expected to be the team’s number one and two running backs this year. The Steelers chose Johnson in round three of this year’s NFL Draft. Gainwell was selected by the Eagles in round five of the 2021 NFL Draft. He’s five foot nine and weighs 200 pounds. Gainwell played a major role on third downs when he was with the Eagles. He is skilled at blocking and receiving passes.
Gainwell tied for the most rushing touchdowns by a rookie in the Eagles’ history in 2021, joining Steve Van Buren and Don Johnson. He led the Eagles in both rushing yards and scrimmage yards throughout the 2022 NFL Playoffs. He had 181 rushing yards and 236 scrimmage yards. Up to this point in his NFL career, he has amassed 1,185 rushing yards and 721 receiving yards. He’s also had 13 touchdowns. Gainwell helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX. During the game, Gainwell registered 406 yards from scrimmage and 456 yards as a kick returner. The Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs with a score of 40-22.
