Throughout the 2025 NFL season, SB Nation’s Doug Farrar writes about the game’s Secret Superstars — those players whose performances might slip under the radar for whatever reasons. In this installment,
we focus on Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell, whose new team has recognized him as one of their castoffs from elsewhere, and an integral part of an offense on the rise.
When Mike Tomlin and Aaron Rodgers talk about the Steelers’ success this season, both of them will bring up the “castoffs” — the players on the roster who were easily bought and brought because they were lightly-regarded elsewhere. It’s become a big thing in the building.
“There are some castoffs if you look at our roster, which makes it really special,” Rodgers said after Pittsburgh’s 28-15 Monday night win over the Miami Dolphins, which put them at 8-6 on the season. “Kenny Gainwell signed a next-to-nothing contract. Connor Heyward, afterthought. Had a touchdown run. You know, Marquez [Valdes-Scantling] been on a couple of teams. Adam Thielen got cut. [Asante] Samuel was on the street for a long time. Says a lot about the character of the guys we brought in.”
When asked about the “castoffs” on Tuesday morning, Tomlin agreed.
“You know, I’m never surprised by that, to be honest with you,” Tomlin said when asked about people who come in unheralded and in-season and are able to make a difference in the organization. “That’s why we have cliches like, ‘The standard is the standard,’ [and] ‘One man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity.‘ It’s not if, it’s when as it pertains to injury in our business, so if you’re in a position like mine, you better work your tail off to ready each and every man that’s a part of the program and have that urgency daily. I certainly do, and we do as a staff. But those are the guys that are deserving of the credit.
“I’ll never ask guys to be patient. I’ll ask them to work while they wait, and a lot of guys have done that. We get performances like many of them just displayed. It’s just evidence that they have, and certainly some of them are going to get additional opportunities to do so, and maybe some new guys will get opportunities to do so as we move forward. That’s just the nature of this thing. I think your ability to adapt and adjust and pivot often defines a collective, and certainly we’ve had some opportunities to do so. We have had success at times and we better keep digging, because I’ve just been on enough of these journeys, I know it’s a component of it.”
Rodgers brought up running back Kenneth Gainwell, who has become a big deal for his new team. Selected in the fifth round of the 2021 draft by the Philadelphia Eagles out of Memphis, Gainwell was a part of an Eagles organization that made two Super Bowls and won one, but when his contract ran out following the 2024 season, he was not brought back. Instead, on March 13, the Steelers signed him to a one-year, $1,79 million contract with $620,000, which is as close to vet minimum as you can get. Gainwell was signed as a reserve running back and return specialist, and after never gaining more than 862 all-purpose yards in a season for his first NFL team, Gainwell is already up to 1,312 for the Steelers with three regular-season games to go — 451 as a runner, 332 as a receiver, and 529 as a return specialist.
“Absolutely.” Tomlin said on Tuesday when he was asked if he saw Gainwell a higher-volume player in Pittsburgh than he was in Philadelphia. “You know, Saquon [Barkley] casts a pretty large shadow. We played that football team, and Kenny made some significant plays in that game against us converting third downs that produced scoring drives. I think he converted three third downs that transferred to 17 points in the midst of that game. He also covered kicks in that game. He returns kicks. So what we saw was a guy that was a football player first that had a nice skillset to do a lot of things, and had some upside because of the ridiculous shadow that Saquon casts. I don’t know that either of us is surprised by what he’s doing or what he’s capable of. We saw it first-hand in-stadium as an opponent.”
Tomlin was referring to Pittsburgh’s 27-13 Week 15 loss to the Eagles last season, in which Gainwell ran the ball seven times for 20 yards, caught three passes for 40 yards, and returned two kicks for 63 yards.
In the Dolphins game, Gainwell had 13 carries for 80 yards and seven catches for 46 yards, proving his versatility once again.
“Really, every game,” Rodgers said when asked about Gainwell’s impact on this win. “The run he had, 38 yards I believe, on just a simple inside zone leak, just his vision. Just fun to watch. I can’t tell you exactly what I call him every week because there are some expletives in there. I love playing with him. I really do. He is as smart as they come. He is super-smart, and I still cannot believe what we got him for.
“I told him a long time ago that my goal was to get him paid, because I’ve been a fan of his since he was in Philly, and thought that every time he went in the game, something good happens. So just to be able to play with him and the type of guy he is, man, I can’t say enough good things about Kenny. Every game he comes up with impactful plays and makes guys miss and catches the ball. I was telling — who was I telling? I think Marquez [Valdes-Scantling] on the sideline.
“One of the most impressive things is to watch us on Friday practice just do pat-and-go drill, which is just an over-the-shoulder drill. He’s as fluid as anybody on the team catching the football. For a guy that’s making damn near a vet minimum, he’s been a tremendous asset to our team this year.”
Well, that is a thing. Gainwell isn’t prime Le’Veon Bell as a running back, but the Steelers haven’t had a back who could catch the ball from everywhere on the field like this since Bell’s peak.
It’s a good time to be Kenneth Gainwell. The former afterthought castoff is now an integral part of a team on the rise, and at this rate, he won’t have to worry about a vet minimum contract in 2026.
Because it’s become Aaron Rodgers’ mission to get him paid.
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