Over the next 12 months, the Pittsburgh Steelers have two paths they could take when it comes to their running back philosophy. There’s the old-school approach of coveting the position. Drafting early, extending and keeping on the roster long-term. There’s the new-school approach of thinking the position is fungible. Draft late and never pay them big money.
Which direction will GM Omar Khan go? Right now, it could go either way.
After having his fifth-year option declined, RB Najee Harris is heading into the summer as a free agent after 2024. The Steelers could — as Khan has left the door open for — sign him to a long-term extension. Or they could play the year out and sign him next March. Of course, they could do neither and let him walk as an unrestricted free agent and sign elsewhere in 2025.
RB Jaylen Warren won’t receive an extension this summer. After this season wraps up, he’ll almost certainly receive a second-round tender. From there, the Steelers could choose to sign him to a long-term deal or let him play on the tender, making him an unrestricted free agent for the 2026 offseason.
They could sign both Harris and Warren to long-term deals, they could sign one and not the other, or they could avoid committing to either. All options are truly on the table.
The old-school approach would be to sign at least one Pittsburgh running back to a long-term deal. If this was Kevin Colbert, you can bet Harris would’ve had his option year picked up with more substantial talks of an extension this summer or next. While Khan has taken a different initial direction, Pittsburgh is building an old-school offense. Big, physical linemen and a team that desires to run the heck out of the football. It’s a model straight out of the 1970s or ’90s, and you have to credit the team’s commitment and willingness to go all-in on the model in this modern, pass-happy world.
But declining Harris was a sign of Khan’s new-age thinking. Unless the decision centered around Dave Bryan’s theory of avoiding the precedent of extending a non-QB two years out (as would’ve been the case had the option been picked up and Harris still extended this summer), the team might not want to pay its running backs. They could let them play out their rookie deals and find replacements when they walk. With that extra draft and financial capital, the Steelers could build up the offensive line and not reduce the talent needed at running back to succeed.
Time will tell. Lines in the sand begin on July 25, when the team has its first training camp practice. Will Harris have a new deal? If not, will he hold-in? And ultimately, will he have a new deal by Sept. 7, a day before the Steelers’ opener against the Atlanta Falcons? Warren’s outlook is further out, but we might be having similar discussions next June over the odds of him receiving an extension off his tender.
Khan and the Steelers could go all-in. They could go all-out. Or somewhere in between. Beyond being an avid fan of building out the trenches, something he should be praised for, this will be one of our first real understandings of Khan’s philosophy regarding Pittsburgh running backs and the team’s direction under him.
