Despite finishing the 2022 season as the seventh-best rushing attack in the second half of the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ running back unit remains ranked near the bottom of the NFL by Pro Football Focus.
The duo of third-year pro Najee Harris and second-year pro Jaylen Warren ranked No. 25 in the NFL by Pro Football Focus Thursday morning. It was ranked as the second-worst RB unit in the AFC, just ahead of the Buffalo Bills at No. 26.
“Najee Harris has been in the NFL for two seasons and rushed for 2,238 yards but hasn’t really justified his selection as a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He is good enough at taking what the offensive line gives him, but Jaylen Warren was more productive on a per-carry basis, both in terms of yards per carry and yards after contact per carry last year,” PFF’s Gordon McGuinnes wrote Thursday morning regarding the Steelers’ RB unit ranking. “Harris was still the primary ball carrier at the end of the year, but it will be interesting to see if Warren can eat into his touches in 2023.”
Harris, in his own right, has had his production due more to volume than efficiency. But, ahead of his third year in the NFL, Harris has a chance to join some elite company with a third-straight 1,000-yard season, joining the likes of Clinton Portis, Eric Dickerson, Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Corey Dillon, Barry Sanders and potentially becoming the 18th running back in league history to accomplish such a feat.
Granted, rushing for 1,000 yards in today’s NFL isn’t all that hard, assuming good health. Averaging just 59 yards a game over a 17-game season gives running backs 1,000 yards. Still, it’s something few running backs have accomplished, so it will be historic for Harris should he be able to do it.
After struggling with a foot injury early in the 2022 season, Harris got healthy down the stretch and played much better for the Steelers. He played a key role in Pittsburgh’s rushing attack ranking No. 7 in the NFL in the second half of the season.
Now, following some offseason additions like the selection of left tackle Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft and the signing of left guard Isaac Seumalo in free agency, the Steelers’ offensive line appears rebuilt and trending towards being a strength, something it hasn’t been in the past. That should do nothing but help Harris.
Those additions up front should also help Warren, who looked good in stretches for the Steelers as an undrafted rookie, providing some explosiveness to the running back room.
Early in training camp, Warren was buried on the depth chart. But through hard work, consistency and the ability to hold up rather well in pass protection he rocketed up the depth chart and earned the No. 2 job behind Harris, providing the Steelers with a dependable 1-2 punch in the backfield.
