The bye week doesn’t offer a magical cure. It’s not going to fix all the problems the Pittsburgh Steelers have. But if there are things the team can tweak around the edges, RB Najee Harris should get more involved in the passing game. Losing his third down role to RB Jaylen Warren was always going to put a dent into his reception total but through five games this season, it’s remarkable Harris only has five receptions.
Of running backs with at least 150 offensive snaps this season — Harris has 161 — only three others have five or fewer catches: Baltimore’s Gus Edwards, Green Bay’s A.J. Dillon, and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Joshua Kelly. Those other three backs are power types not known for catching the ball. Harris is big, he’s capable of running strong, but he’s always been an asset as a receiver. It was true at Alabama, where he caught 80 career passes (including some amazing skying grabs), and in his rookie year, when he finished with 74 grabs or 4.4 per game.
In 2022, his reception numbers dipped to 41, or 2.4 per game, but things have bottomed out to just one per game this season. He’s only caught more than one pass in a game once this season, the season-opening loss when he had a pair. Targets are down too, under two per game in 2023 compared to more than three a year ago and 5.5 as a rookie.
Warren has become the pass-catching back, he could lead the team in receptions this season, and it’s a role for which he’s well-suited. There is a chance to get Harris involved during his early down work. In his rookie year, 41.9 percent of his receptions came on first down. Only 28.3 percent actually came on third down.
With Diontae Johnson out, it’s hard to imagine how little players not named WR George Pickens have seen the football. Pickens rightfully should lead the team in targets, and he does, but TE Pat Freiermuth and Harris were too often ignored in Johnson’s absence.
Harris might not be explosive, but he can win in space. Get one-on-one with a linebacker and run him over, break the tackle, and get some YAC. At the least, it’s a way to get some easy first-down yardage, something the Steelers struggle to do (they rank 30th in first down yards per play). He doesn’t need another 74 receptions this season, not even close, but he should average more than one per game. Maybe QB Kenny Pickett should check it down more often, QB Coach Mike Sullivan hinted as much last week, with the occasional play designed for Harris in space. It’s sure been hard to find room in the run game.
This isn’t going to fix everything. It probably doesn’t even fix much. But it’s something the Steelers can focus on. And if they can slightly get better in one area here, one area there, the little changes add up. And maybe the offense can become, I know this is asking a lot, at least average.
