Benny Snell’s return to professional football has opened quietly. The ex-steelers rb benny snell signed with the Louisville Kings in January and has struggled to make a difference through two early UFL games, including a 19-9 loss to the Orlando Storm on April 4.
Against Orlando, Snell managed four yards on six rushing attempts and added two catches for 28 yards. A week earlier, Louisville fell 15-13 to the Birmingham Stallions on March 27, when Snell ran for 12 yards on five carries and did not catch a pass.
The numbers are a far cry from the role Snell once held at Pittsburgh. The Steelers drafted him in the fourth round in 2019 after he left Kentucky as the school’s all-time rushing leader, having piled up 4,089 yards from scrimmage and 48 touchdowns from 2016 to 2018.
Snell entered the NFL as James Conner’s backup and logged 108 rushing attempts as a rookie, compared with 116 for Conner. He finished that first season with 426 yards and two touchdowns, then appeared in all 16 games in 2020 and posted 368 yards on 111 carries with four scores.
His workload dipped after Pittsburgh selected Najee Harris in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. From 2021 to 2022, Snell totaled 188 yards and one score on 56 rushing attempts and played 152 offensive reps.
That makes his start in Louisville more than a slow opening week. It is a reset, with his early UFL production showing how much ground he still has to make up if he is going to turn a second chance into a meaningful role.
