Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris has been a frustrating point of contention among Steelers fans, but one former NFL running back think Harris is among the league’s better backs. In an article for NFL.com, Maurice Jones-Drew ranked Harris 10th among all NFL running backs.
“The Steelers have leaned heavily on their bell cow since he entered the league in 2021, helping take pressure off an out-of-juice Ben Roethlisberger and rookie Kenny Pickett,” Jones-Drew writes. “Even with Pittsburgh expected to give Pickett more freedom in the passing game, everything about the offense should continue to run through No. 22.”
Harris has been a workhorse for Pittsburgh, with 694 touches over his first two seasons in the league. But with Jaylen Warren emerging as a legitimate No. 2, Harris’ workload will likely decrease some in 2023. That’s not to say that he’s not a good back, although his lack of efficiency makes his top-ten status on this list questionable, but it’s not sustainable to give him 270-plus carries every single season.
Pickett is going to have more opportunities this year. We’ve already seen him air the ball out a little bit during the preseason, with both his passing touchdowns being explosive plays. But the Steelers have always been a team that wants to win on the ground, and Harris is the key to making that happen.
He’s a big back, a guy who will bowl over defenders and wear defenses down throughout the course of the game. With an improved offensive line and Harris fully healthy, he should be able to improve his efficiency to somewhere around the 4.2 yards per carry mark.
He’s going to be a major component to Pittsburgh’s success this season. While Warren has gotten more run in the preseason and took a carry 62 yards to the house last Saturday in the team’s 27-15 win over the Buffalo Bills, he’s not going to start over Harris. I fully expect Harris to quiet the doubters when the regular season gets underway, and he just might end up being a top-10 back in the league this year.
The Steelers are lucky that they have two backs who complement each other as well as Harris and Warren do. It’s going to be a lot of fun to watch the Thunder and Lightning component they offer out of the backfield, but Harris’ role in that shouldn’t be diminished. Talent-wise, he certainly is a top-10 back in the league. He’s just got to start turning that into production, something I think he will do this season.
