In two games, Adam Thielen has two receptions. On paper, it was a blip on the radar and seemed to have little impact after being claimed by the Pittsburgh Steelers. But his role and value go beyond the box score. Monday’s win over Miami demonstrated that with Thielen’s impact as a run blocker.
Let’s look at several clips.
This is his best one. Kenneth Gainwell ran hard and broke a tackle on his 38-yard run, the difference between a slow first half and a dominant second, but Thielen played a role, too. Despite bubbling out on this RPO, Thielen works back to make a block on the cornerback once he sees Gainwell take the carry.