Entering the fourth-and-final year of his rookie contract, Pittsburgh Steelers RB Najee Harris has a little bit extra to prove in 2024. His fifth-year option was declined, so he has this upcoming season to brush up his football resume before entering unrestricted free agency next March. The size of his next contract will greatly depend on his performance this year. For those reasons, Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay listed Harris in his recent post highlighting players entering make-or-break seasons.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers seemed to have the league’s next star running back on their hands when Najee Harris landed a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie in 2021,” Kay wrote. “Unfortunately, the concerning efficiency metrics that he displayed that year have continued to plague him.”
After rushing for 1,200 yards and 7 touchdowns as a rookie, a stat line that landed him in the Pro Bowl as an alternate selection, Harris has failed to surpass his rushing totals since. A large part of that has to do with the emergence of UDFA RB Jaylen Warren over the last two seasons. Harris’ rushing attempts went from 307 in 2021 to 272 in 2022, and ended at a career-low 255 carries last year. He surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in all three seasons, but his per-carry efficiency has been well below the league leaders at his position.
He finished with 4.1 yards per carry last year — his first time cracking the 4.0 mark — and that was still tied for 18th among running backs with over 140 carries last season. Jaylen Warren, for comparison, ranked second with 5.3 yards per carry.
Yards per carry doesn’t always tell the full story, however. There is a reason that the Steelers leaned on Harris over the final three games of the season last year. Those three games were essentially playoff games for Pittsburgh as they made their push to qualify for the tournament. During that time, Harris had 72 carries for 312 yards and a 4.33 average. Warren had just 30 carries for 132 yards and a 4.4 average. When the weather got cold and they needed a big-bodied running back to carry the load, Harris was their guy.
It was Harris’ best three-game stretch of the season, and it was when it mattered most for the team. Coincidentally (or not), those were the three games that Mason Rudolph stepped in as the starting quarterback and provided the best QB play that the Steelers had all season. The offense was a little less one dimensional, and Harris’ production — and efficiency — moved in a positive direction.
So what does that mean for the 2024 season? The Steelers invested a ton in their offensive line. There will be some growing pains with the youth in that group, but it has the potential to be far and away the best offensive line that Harris has run behind in the NFL. They also added Russell Wilson and Justin Fields at quarterback. Those two factors could mean big things for Harris.
“Harris’ free agency value will depend on how he fares this coming season, which should feature Pittsburgh taking a much different offensive approach than it has in recent years,” Kay wrote. “Russell Wilson is now under center, and the Steelers have a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith.
“Harris is reportedly shedding pounds and fine-tuning his body to have a bounce-back year. We’ll soon see if he can return to Pro Bowl form and make himself a coveted option in the 2025 free-agent market.”
If poor quarterback play, a one-dimensional Matt Canada offense, and a shoddy offensive line were the three biggest excuses for Harris over the first three seasons of his career, those excuses are now gone. For that reason, I agree that 2024 is a make-or-break season for Harris and his future as a featured running back in the NFL.
