Outside linebacker T.J. Watt wasn’t the only Pittsburgh Steelers’ player to be sidelined by an injury during Sunday’s road win against the Cincinnati Bengals, as running back Najee Harris also left that contest late, as well. There have been several reports since the end of the Sunday game concerning the prognosis on Harris’s injury, and on Monday Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network weighed in with the latest that he has heard concerning the running back.
“Meanwhile, Najee Harris, the star running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, dealing with a foot injury and this is related, to my understanding, to the Lis franc sprain that he had early on in camp,” Rapoport said. “Kind of tweaked that a little bit. As of right now, doesn’t appear to be major. That is the general feel, but he had an MRI this morning, still getting more tests to determine; is there something else here or is it just a small reaggravation of a previous injury?”
Harris originally suffered his left foot lisfranc sprain early in training camp, and that sidelined him for several weeks. He did return to play in the Steelers’ preseason finale, however. On Sunday, Harris seemed to have his left foot trapped and twisted underneath a Bengals player while being tackled on first and 10 play with 1:51 left in the fourth quarter. He was in obvious pain while on the ground, but ultimately was able to get up and hobble off the field.
While Harris’s injury might not be major, it will be interesting to see if it ultimately sidelines him a game or two or three. Should Harris indeed miss time, rookie running back Jaylen Warren and veteran running back Benny Snell Jr. would likely be used in a committee approach of some kind. The Steelers also have running back Anthony McFarland Jr. on their practice squad, and thus he might could be elevated for games should Harris wind up being sidelined.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin will next meet the media on Tuesday and when he does, hopefully he will provide some sort of update on not only Watt, but Harris as well. The Steelers’ first injury report for Week 2 will come out after the team’s Wednesday practice. The Steelers’ Week 2 game is on Sunday at home against the New England Patriots.
