The Pittsburgh Steelers limited RB Najee Harris’ usage throughout training camp and the preseason, allowing RB Jaylen Warren to shine. Warren had one of the plays of the preseason, a 62-yard touchdown run in a preseason win over the Buffalo Bills. Ever since there’s been a contingent of people who think Warren is better served as the team’s No. 1 running back than Harris. ESPN’s Dan Graziano, in an article detailing potential surprises across the league, said Warren could supplant Harris as the team’s lead back by the end of the season.
“Harris is still firmly in the Steelers’ plans and opens the season as their top back,” Graziano writes. “But Warren’s performance in practice and games has demanded a larger role for him than what Pittsburgh had planned a year ago. He has shown the ability to spell Harris whenever asked, and he has actually looked more explosive in some areas. Unless Harris looks more like the 2021 version of himself than the 2022 version, Warren’s opportunity could increase dramatically as the year goes on. Warren, a 2022 undrafted free agent, took 77 carries for 379 yards last season.”
Harris wasn’t at his best last season as he dealt with a Lisfranc injury for much of the first half, but he was a lot better when he was healthy. His production on the ground last season wasn’t all that worse than his rookie season. While his yardage total dipped from 1,200 yards to 1,034 yards, it also came on fewer carries (307 to 272). He still had seven touchdowns and his yards per carry, while not great, was similar, dipping from 3.9 to 3.8 yards per carry.
Warren is going to have a bigger role this year, but unless Harris really struggles, I find it hard to believe that he’ll become the team’s lead back. He offers a nice complement to Harris, but we haven’t seen him take on the workload of a No. 1 back yet. While I think we may see a more even split of carries between Warren and Harris, that says more about Warren being a talented player the Steelers want to get on the field than it does about Harris.
Harris has never really been an explosive runner, which is one of the biggest knocks on him. He’s a bruising back who can wear down the defense, and while his efficiency does need to improve, his struggles have been a little bit overstated. That’s a result of the Steelers using a first-round pick on him, which is a fair decision to question, but debating the merits of the value of that pick shouldn’t take away from Harris still being a solid back and a key piece to the Pittsburgh offense.
We’ll see what happens throughout the season, but Harris will start as the lead back and I fully expect him to have the strongest season of his career. It’s the best offensive line he’s played behind, and him being healthy is important. Both Harris and Warren are going to help make the offense better, and it shouldn’t be a debate over who’s better or more deserving. They’re good complements to each other and can make the Steelers’ backfield strong.
