Like so many members of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster, RB Najee Harris is seemingly never not working. Though he spent today at the beach, he was there to work, not play.
As shared on his Instagram story, Harris was working a hand/eye coordination drill on the sand. Here’s what he posted to his account.
If you’re wondering, Harris is working with Jamal Liggin, trainer and owner of JLT Performance.
Catching tennis balls is a drill that RBs Coach Eddie Faulkner would deploy. Throughout OTAs and what’s common at training camp, Faulkner always introduces and has the position work on funky-looking drills that help with specific elements of a running back’s game. At one point, Faulkner had the group catching playing cards.
While Harris has had a mixed first two seasons in the league, work ethic has never been a question. He’s highly-conditioned with little body fat for his frame, knowing how to act like a professional on and off the field. Taking care of your body isn’t just about lifting weights. It’s about eating well, getting enough sleep, and even knowing when to rest and let your body recover.
But Harris hasn’t taken many days off this offseason. Pittsburgh is counting on him this year as they go all-in with a ground attack mindset. Though Harris is no longer the true workhorse back on the team, splitting time with Jaylen Warren, he still should see well over 250 carries this season and hover near tops in the league in carries. From Week 10 and on last season, no team ran the ball as often as the Steelers.
Harris will hopefully enter 2023 on a better note than he did in 2022. On his first carry of the team’s first padded practice last season, Harris slipped and injured his foot. Though he played in the opener and didn’t miss a game, it clearly bothered him and he had a steel plate in his cleat until the bye week. After it, he looked more explosive and more of a vertical runner, improving his yards per carry and getting the Steelers’ run game on track. Hopefully he can make more of an impact in the passing game last season and this is a drill that can help that.
