If Pittsburgh Steelers third-year running back Najee Harris cracks 1,000 yards for the third straight season in 2023, he’ll enter his name into the record books.
It would make Harris just the 18th running back in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in three-straight seasons to open his career, and the first time it’s been done in a decade at the position.
That sounds impressive, but rushing for 1,000 yards in a season isn’t all it used to be, especially in a 17-game season. Despite being on the cusp of history, Harris finds himself as one of 20 players, coaches and executives under the most pressure entering the 2023 season, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell.
Harris was one of just two running backs on Barnwell’s list, joining Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor facing the most pressure at the position.
“Harris hasn’t been an efficient back during his first two seasons in Pittsburgh. He has stayed healthy and absorbed a large workload, which are valuable skills, but he hasn’t been the sort of difference-maker a team hopes to land when it drafts a running back in Round 1,” Barnwell writes. “Whether it’s traditional metrics (3.9 yards per carry) or advanced ones (a league-worst minus-197 rush yards over expectation over the past two seasons), Harris has been a throwback in the wrong sort of way. …If Harris doesn’t take a leap forward in 2023, he’s going to run the risk of having his fifth-year option declined.”
It’s fair to say that Harris’ production has been more about volume than efficiency. The yards per carry bear that out.
Last season’s production wasn’t all that impressive, compared to other running backs in the NFL. Harris put up 272 carries, 1,034 yards, and seven touchdowns and another 41 receptions, 229 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
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.
The Alabama product is a true workhorse back and a real threat between the tackles as that battering ram running back who can wear defenses down. He is also a versatile, moveable weapon in the passing game and serves as a safety outlet for quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Assuming good health, a consistent workload and improvement by the offensive line, there’s really no reason Harris shouldn’t get back to his rookie season level of play, putting himself right back in the discussion of the top running backs in the NFL once again.
But there’s no denying he’s under some pressure entering the 2023 season. While Steelers beat writer Ray Fittipaldo stated this offseason that it’s trending towards Harris getting his fifth-year option picked up next offseason, the former first-round pick needs to show without a shadow of a doubt that he’s a high-caliber running back in 2023 and is worthy of the fifth-year option and a player that the Steelers should consider investing in long-term.
