Eddie Faulkner used his Thursday meeting with the media to dispel one narrative of Pittsburgh Steelers RB Najee Harris, at least one that surrounded him heading into the 2021 NFL Draft. The idea that Harris was a poor teammate and not well-liked by his Alabama teammates.
Based on their three years together, Faulkner says that notion is completely wrong.
“I think there was that narrative of whatever, him being a poor teammate or something if I remember correctly when he was coming out,” the Steelers’ interim offensive coordinator and running backs coach said via a team-provided transcript. “It couldn’t be any further from the truth once you got around him and got to know him and what those people from Alabama said to him. My impression of him has always been high.”
It’s hard to know exactly what Faulkner is referring to. Perhaps it’s a result of the difficult relationship Harris and (now former) Alabama head coach Nick Saban had early in their career, butting heads as Harris would later say that nearly caused him to transfer.
“I could be hardheaded sometimes. I guess he wasn’t used to that,” he said on Cam Heyward’s podcast during training camp. “He was just used to, like, ‘Yes, sir.’ So I kind of talked back. Something must have happened and he said something to me, and I said something back to him, kind of angrily. He kind of looked at me weird. We had some conversation—I’m not gonna put it on air—and we went our separate ways”.
Eventually, the two came to an understanding and worked things out, Harris staying in Tuscaloosa and excelling. Still, that history might’ve been the background info on Harris from scouts as the draft drew near. Based on my research, there weren’t any public insulations or conversations that Harris was a difficult teammate. Pittsburgh spent plenty of time around Harris, twice attending Alabama’s Pro Day (Harris worked out at the latter session) and Faulkner repeated what he said about him as a rookie, noting his work ethic and attention to detail.
“I was really impressed by how engaged he was. When that process was going on it was the other end of COVID so there were restrictions on contact you could have with guys and stuff like that in those moments. When I worked him out in Alabama, how engaging and how much he was into football and loved football, that really kind of grabbed me,” Faulkner said.
Harris has served as Pittsburgh’s starter for all of his three seasons as a Steeler, appearing in every single game. No small feat for a running back position that isn’t known for its durability. While Harris has had his icy moments with media, declining several interview requests earlier this year, there’s never been any indication he’s been an issue in the locker room. In fact, Mike Tomlin put him in a leadership role almost immediately after drafting him with Harris serving as team captain in 2022 though not in 2023.
The last three weeks have shown the best of Harris, a pair of 100-yard performances and tough running the Steelers needed to close out games or grind out a tough win over Baltimore last Saturday. Now, they’ll need Harris to put on his snow tires for Sunday’s playoff game in Buffalo as Harris looks for his first postseason victory.
