Ballage rushed once for zero yards in Sunday's 16-13 OT win over the Ravens.
Although Najee Harris sustained an elbow injury on the team's first drive Sunday, Ballage was on the field for just seven offensive snaps. Instead, most of the backfield duties went to Benny Snell before Harris returned to the field. Ballage appeared in every game during the regular season and rushed 12 times for 36 yards while securing two of seven targets for eight yards. He's slated to become an unrestricted free agent during the offseason after signing a one-year deal with the Steelers in March.
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Steelers' Kalen Ballage: Racks up 21 rushing yards
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Ballage recorded three carries for 21 yards while securing one of two targets for six yards in Sunday's 41-10 loss to the Bengals.
Ballage was on the field for just eight offensive snaps in Sunday's matchup, but he had a season-high 27 yards from scrimmage in the blowout loss. The 25-year-old has been on the field for double-digit offensive snaps just once this season and continues to have minimal fantasy value as long as Najee Harris remains healthy.
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Steelers' Kalen Ballage: Logs three yards in Week 11
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Ballage recorded one carry for three yards while failing to haul in his lone target in Sunday's 41-37 loss to the Chargers.
Sunday's performance marked just the second time that Ballage logged positive yardage on the ground across the first 10 games of the season. During that time, he's recorded eight carries for 15 yards while securing one of five targets for two yards.
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Steelers' Kalen Ballage: Totals two yards against Chicago
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Ballage secured his lone target for two yards in Monday's 29-27 win over the Bears.
Ballage's seven offensive snaps Monday ranked second among the Steelers' running backs, but he failed to have a significant impact. None of Pittsburgh's backup running backs have managed to carve out meaningful production behind lead back Najee Harris to begin the year.
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Steelers' Kalen Ballage: Minimal role against Browns
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Ballage rushed once for minus-3 yards in Sunday's 15-10 win over Cleveland.
Ballage played a season-high 11 snaps in Week 6, but he was on the field for just three offensive snaps against the Browns. The 25-year-old has rushed just seven times for 12 yards across his first seven appearances with the Steelers.
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Steelers' Kalen Ballage: Limited playing time in OT win
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Ballage recorded two carries for 15 yards in Sunday's 23-20 overtime win over the Seahawks.
Although rookie Najee Harris played 84 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps Sunday, Ballage was on the field for 16 percent of the snaps and was the only other running back to play on offense. The 2018 fourth-rounder was efficient with his two touches, but he's still had fairly minimal work to begin the season.
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Steelers' Kalen Ballage: Four carries in Week 5
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Ballage rushed four times for zero yards while failing to secure his lone target in Sunday's 27-19 win over Denver.
Ballage saw his first taste of offensive work last week, and he played 10 offensive snaps in Week 5 since Najee Harris dealt with cramping. Assuming Harris is fully healthy for Sunday's Week 6 matchup, Ballage should continue to be an insignificant fantasy contributor.
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Steelers' Kalen Ballage: No offensive snaps
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Ballage logged four snaps on special teams during Sunday's 23-16 win over the Bills.
Ballage didn't see a single snap on offense. Rookie running back Najee Harris carried the load Sunday, playing on all 58 of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps. Ballage is currently third on the depth chart, and Harris' three-down skill set will make it hard for the veteran to see much playing time on offense.
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Steelers' Kalen Ballage: Pair of carries
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Ballage carried the ball two times for eight yards in Friday's preseason game against Carolina.
Ballage worked in a third-down role in the team's first offensive drive, though he was unable to convert his lone target into a catch. He drew one carry on the following drive and was held off the stat sheet thereafter until the fourth quarter. Ballage battled a lower-body issue throughout the middle of training camp but has been healthier than Benny Snell overall. That could clear a path for Ballage to make the roster, though the Steelers' depth roles at the position remain unclear.
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Steelers' Kalen Ballage: Productive in exhibition win
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Ballage recorded seven carries for 30 yards and hauled in both of his targets for 17 yards in Saturday's 26-20 preseason win over the Lions.
Ballage played just 15 snaps in Saturday's win, but he saw plenty of work after he was held out of the Steelers' second preseason game due to a lower-body injury. The 25-year-old led the team's running backs in rushing yards, and his 11-yard rush in the third quarter was Pittsburgh's longest of the game. Ballage has made a strong case for a 53-man roster spot ahead of the regular season as he competes for a backup role behind starter Najee Harris.
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Steelers' Kalen Ballage: Back at practice
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Ballage (lower body) returned to practice Tuesday, Dale Lolley of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Ballage sustained a lower-body injury in the preseason opener versus the Cowboys and didn't take the field in last week's exhibition game against Philadelphia. However, he took carries ahead of Jaylen Samuels in Tuesday's practice, an indication Ballage will likely suit up for Saturday's preseason matchup against the Lions.
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Steelers' Kalen Ballage: Injury considered minor
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Ballage (lower body) isn't believed to be dealing with a significant injury, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Ballage has missed back-to-back practices after he left Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against the Cowboys with a lower-body injury. While the exact nature of the issue isn't yet known, coach Mike Tomlin said Sunday that the running back likely isn't facing a long-term absence. The 25-year-old's status for Thursday's preseason game against the Eagles will likely be determined based on whether he can return to practice in the coming days, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him limited or held out against Philadelphia as a precautionary measure.
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Steelers' Kalen Ballage: Dealing with lower-body injury
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Ballage suffered a lower-body injury in Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against Dallas, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
It's not immediately clear how Ballage suffered the injury, or how serious the knock may be. Prior to the issue, he received five carries and gained 19 yards -- highlighted by a five-yard touchdown. Ballage is battling to make Pittsburgh's roster, competing for a depth role with Jaylen Samuels and Tony Brooks-James, and any missed time would hurt his chances of making the team.
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Steelers' Kalen Ballage: Gets more competition for touches
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Ballage will have to compete for touches this year after the Steelers selected Najee Harris with the 24th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports.
Ballage signed a one-year contract with the Steelers at the end of March, and Pittsburgh strengthened its running game by selecting the first running back in the draft. Coach Mike Tomlin called Harris a "three-down back" after the team selected him Thursday, signaling that Ballage should have to compete with Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland for touches in a secondary role during his first year with the Steelers. Ballage averaged 3.3 yards on 91 carries with the Chargers and Jets last season and may have to compete for a spot on the Week 1 roster during training camp and the preseason.
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Steelers' Kalen Ballage: Headed to Pittsburgh
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Ballage is signing a one-year contract with the Steelers.
Few teams, if any, have a weaker depth chart at running back, though Dale Lolley of DKPittsburghSports.com expects the Steelers to find their starter in the 2021 NFL Draft. Ballage likely will need to compete for a roster spot, as he's averaged only 3.1 yards on 201 carries and 5.5 yards on 52 receptions in the NFL. He'll be up against Benny Snell, Anthony McFarland, Jaylen Samuels and Trey Edmunds, plus whatever rookie(s) the Steelers add.
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Chargers' Kalen Ballage: Emerges as capable backup
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Ballage carried the ball 13 times for 36 yards and a touchdown in the Chargers' Week 17 win over the Chiefs.
Ballage -- who finished the 2020 season with a combined 402 yards and three TDs with a pair of teams -- put together an uneventful three-game stint with the Jets before joining the Chargers midway through the campaign. From a statistical standpoint, the ensuing eight games were easily the busiest juncture of Ballage's three-year career to date, as the 25-year-old logged 108 touches in that span, mainly in the absence of Austin Ekeler (quad). While Ballage put together career-highs in rushing yards (290) and receiving yards (99), he was hardly efficient with his opportunities, finishing the season with a paltry 3.3 yards-per-carry average. It remains to be seen how the Chargers manage their carry distribution at running back moving forward with head coach Anthony Lynn now out of the picture. The offense had been almost dependent on a bruising back capable of running between the tackles as a fulcrum of sorts to work alongside Ekeler during Lynn's tenure, but a more imaginative coach could choose to make Ekeler the truly dominant option out of the backfield, thus forcing the backups to remain largely out of the picture. While Ballage's counting stats could make him a frontrunner for whatever the team's top backup RB job looks like in 2021, Justin Jackson, 2020 fourth-round pick Joshua Kelley and possibly others could contend for that role entering next season.
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Chargers' Kalen Ballage: Minimal factor in win
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Ballage carried the ball four times for 14 yards and also caught two passes for 12 yards in Sunday's 19-16 win over the Broncos on Sunday.
Ballage saw just 16 offensive snaps, the lowest total to date during his brief Chargers tenure, but he still managed to tally 26 total yards, a three-week high. The 25-year-old will have one more week to make his case as the team's optimal backup option for 2021 behind stalwart Austin Ekeler.
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Chargers' Kalen Ballage: Scores TD but does little else
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Ballage carried eight times for 11 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's 30-27 win over the Raiders.
The Chargers entire rushing attack was largely inefficient, but Ballage's 1.4 yards-per-carry stood out as dismal. The castaway running back has seen around 20-30 offensive snaps each game since the return of Austin Ekeler, making his fantasy value almost strictly dependent on the ability to get into the end zone.
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Chargers' Kalen Ballage: Relegated to afterthought
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Ballage carried the ball seven times for 14 yards and caught just one of his two targets for six yards in Sunday's 20-17 win over the Falcons.
It'll be important to monitor the status of Austin Ekeler (quad) who was estimated as non-participant in Monday's practice leading into the Thursday night matchup against the Raiders. With Ekeler healthy, Ballage has totaled just 14 carries and six targets over the last two games after serving as the team's workhorse in previous weeks.
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Chargers' Kalen Ballage: Totals 39 yards in return
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Ballage (ankle) carried the ball seven times for 34 yards and also caught three of his four targets for five yards in Sunday's 45-0 loss to the Patriots.
It's hard to really read much into Ballage's usage given how quickly the Chargers trailed in this contest. The 24-year-old saw one fewer carry than stalwart Austin Ekeler, but the difference in targets (nine to four) should be expected given the dramatic difference in the score. Seeing 38 percent of the offensive snaps is notable considering Joshua Kelley registered just 23 percent of the offensive snaps in Ekeler's return from injury last week, so we can at least rule out the possibility Ballage could get phased out of the offense entirely. By default, expect a better performance from Ballage and company next week against the Falcons.
