In a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately fast-paced world in the NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers third-year running back Najee Harris finds himself under scrutiny from the media and some in the fan base entering the 2023 season through no doing of his own.
After watching second-year running back Jaylen Warren speed down the left sideline on the sixth play from scrimmage last Saturday at Acrisure Stadium against the Buffalo Bills for a 62-yard touchdown, discussions started to get loud regarding the pecking order at running back between Harris and Warren.
Harris was one of the least efficient running backs in the NFL last season. That was a continuation from a rookie season in which he finished fourth in the league in rushing yards, but that was more due to volume than overall production.
Through two seasons, Harris has 2,234 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, with another 696 receiving yards and six touchdowns. The touchdown numbers are strong — an average of 10 per season — but Harris is averaging just 1,117 yards on the ground per year, and 348 yards through the air, good for 1,465 total yards from scrimmage.
That’s just 86.17 yards from scrimmage per game. Not great.
It hasn’t been all on Harris though.
While he’s not going to rip off the explosive runs like Warren did Saturday night, Harris fits exactly what the Steelers want at the running back position. That’s hard for some to understand, but it’s true. He’s big, strong, physical and can really wear down defenses. He matches what the Steelers have historically had.
Former Steelers cornerback-turned-scout and podcast co-host Ike Taylor took a different side of the Harris/Warren debate on the latest episode of the “Bleav In Steelers” podcast with co-host Mark Bergin. Taylor stated that Steelers fans will love Harris when the weather turns and teams don’t want to be tackling the big, bruising running back in a run-heavy approach.
“You can say what you want to say about Najee, but I know when he’s going be very valuable, and that’s after October when it starts to get cold,” Taylor said, according to video via Bergin’s YouTube page. “After Halloween, y’all are gonna love Najee. I’m telling y’all. … Najee’s the starter, man. Najee’s the bellcow. He’s going to get you a thousand yards from now on. It ain’t going to look very pretty, but it’s going to be effective.”
That’s quite a refreshing take from Taylor in the midst of this rather silly discussion that seems to be focusing more on either/or rather than both Harris and Warren in the Steelers backfield.
Though Harris has had some struggles and the numbers haven’t looked that good overall on paper, there’s more context needed. Harris has seen just 2.1 yards per carry on average before contact, which ties into some of the offensive line struggles in recent seasons. Even with that little room, Harris has been able to break 51 tackles running the football, adding another 21 broken tackles as a receiver.
He’s a load to bring down and is the old-school thumper that Pittsburgh wants in its run-heavy approach.
When the weather gets colder and the Steelers are aiming to win low-scoring games down the stretch, Harris is going to come up large, just like he did in the second half of the season in 2022, helping Pittsburgh become the No. 7 rushing attack in football during that span.
He might not rip off the explosive runs, but he’s going to wear defenses down and help the Steelers close out games. That’s exactly what Pittsburgh wants, and they are clearly happy with him. Taylor is right: Steelers fans will be loving and praising Harris by Halloween again.
