Don’t count RB Najee Harris out yet. After failing to practice Wednesday and Thursday, Harris returned to practice Friday. As tweeted out by 93.7 The Fan’s Jeff Hathhorn, Harris went through at least individual drills during today’s Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice.
Harris suffered an oblique injury in the first half of Monday night’s win over the Indianapolis Colts, missing the rest of the game. On a short week without practicing to the first two days, Harris’ status seemed very much in doubt. Now, he looks more questionable.
It’s still unclear if Harris worked in full in team sessions or if he just did individual work with the other running backs. The Steelers will release their final Friday injury report later today that will offer more clarity on his status.
Harris spoke to reporters Friday, another positive sign for his status, and said the team intentionally chose to rest him the last two days of practice before ramping him up today. Here’s what he said via The Trib’s Chris Adamski.
If Harris can’t play this Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, Jaylen Warren, Benny Snell, and (presumably, after another elevation) Anthony McFarland will handle the backfield workload. The group filled in well in Week 12, the Steelers rushing for a combined 172 yards in the win. If Harris plays, McFarland is likely to remain on the practice squad. Warren will play this weekend after missing the Colts’ game with a hamstring injury.
Harris told reporters he believes he’ll play this weekend.
On the season, Harris has carried the ball 158 times for 585 yards (3.7 YPC) with four rushing scores. He’s also caught 29 passes with another two touchdowns.
