With the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 season over following their 31-17 Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills Monday evening, RB Najee Harris is already thinking about how to improve things next year. Internally, he told reporters postgame the Steelers need a stronger structure with more discipline off the field.
“In-house rules,” Harris said via The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo. “Not changes in our coaches. The rules that are in our building. We gotta be more disciplined. We gotta be more committed. I’m not saying that we’re not, but just coming from a place that has structure. Coming and just seeing, we probably could get help in these areas, it might change something.
“That’s something that could help. I’m not saying nothing about coaches or anything like that. More of in-house rules. That’s all I’m saying.”
Harris made it clear he wasn’t pointing the finger at the Steelers’ coaching staff. Based on his comments, it’s difficult to tell exactly what he’s referring to when it comes to “in-house rules.” Perhaps it’s how players police themselves, or perhaps it’s the player leadership structure.
He also doesn’t make it entirely clear what he means by “coming from a place,” though he could be referring to his time at Alabama, where head coach Nick Saban ran a tight ship and made the Crimson Tide college football’s best team over the last decade. Tomlin is known for giving his players more freedom, trusting them to be accountable and prepare for the week.
Harris’ comments began by saying it wasn’t his place to make decisions on these matters.
“I have my opinions on things, but I’m just a player,” Harris said via DeFabo. “But if you want to elevate where we’re at, there’s some in-house things that need to change. Coach T. always tells me just to play running back. That’s a little inside thing that we have. But if we want to elevate and achieve those goals that we want, we gotta change some in-house stuff. But like I said, that’s not my place. That’s not anything I can control.”
In his first two seasons, Pittsburgh seemed to pave the way for Harris to take on a leadership role. It was something Mike Tomlin repeatedly mentioned, and Harris was named a team captain for 2022, a young player leading a young offense. But he lost his captaincy status in 2023, with only QB Kenny Pickett serving as an offensive team captain.
Throughout the year, Harris has said little to the media, and when he has, he often criticized them for what he believes is inaccurate reporting. Following the team’s Week 11 loss to the Cleveland Browns, Harris offered a vague comment about him holding back information in front of reporters but said he was “tired of this shit.”
During Pittsburgh’s worst moments, including their three-game losing streak, team culture came into question. Specifically, Mike Tomlin came under fire for his handling of WR George Pickens, who did not receive any public discipline for his loafing “block” against the Indianapolis Colts. But Harris’ comments seem to go beyond that. He’s outlining the problem without detailing the solution. Perhaps it’ll be something that comes up during his exit interview in the coming days.
