When it comes to the Angry Runs scepter that Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt awards each week for the NFL’s “angriest” run, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris has a stranglehold on it.
In his first three NFL seasons, Harris has won the scepter six times, consistently showing off his strength, tossing defenders to the turf with a mean stiff arm. He personifies what it means to be a Steelers running back with his never-say-die attitude and his strength and power to fight for every blade of grass.
Jaylen Warren brings that mentality, too, which has the Steelers’ running back room being quite stacked when it comes to potential Angry Runs attention and success this season.
Ahead of a big slate of games in Week 1 on Sunday, Brandt put Harris and Warren among his top five on the Angry Runs watch list this season.
“This is the dude. This is the standard. That’s Najee Harris. He is massive,” Brandt said, according to video via NFL Network. “Look at the arms, look at the determination. Brian Robinson Jr. doesn’t have one of these. Najee Harris has [six] of them. He wins one like every seven months. He does what he does and because he does things like this…holy crap, that’s nothing for him. That’s him tying his shoes. That is almost a signature move. That is his stone-cold stunner, his awakening. It’s his shake, rattle and roll neck breaker.
“He does that getting out of bed in the morning. And you know what else he does? Gets nominated for Angry Runs of the Year at NFL Honors. In fact, wins Angry Run of the Year at NFL Honors.”
Harris won the Angry Runs of the Year last year, thanks to his run against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17. He stiff-armed Seattle defensive back Tariq Woolen to the turf in impressive fashion as part of a big day in Seattle where Harris rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries.
Talk about angry and violent.
That’s what Harris brings to the running back position, and why he should be a favorite to win the award again, especially after being a finalist for the Angry Run of the Year in 2022, too.
He’s not alone in Pittsburgh though.
Warren is one of Brandt’s five players to watch for the award, too.
“Hardest runner in the NFL in 2023. It really wasn’t close,” Brandt said of Warren. “I’ve already mentioned one Steeler. I’ve mentioned a former Steeler. This is the hardest running Steeler. Jaylen Warren is this tiny little ball of muscle, sinew and hate, and he does the filthiest thing and it’s no big deal. He doesn’t celebrate. He’s like, ‘That’s just me playing football.'”
That is just Warren. He’s a bowling ball with legs and is one of the most powerful backs in football. Warren is also a force when it came to making defenders miss. In a study by Football Insights, Warren leads the NFL in missed tackles forced per carry at over 0.30 and is among the league leaders in yards per touch at over 5.5.
He runs incredibly hard, refuses to go down on first contact, and really fights for every single yard he can get, dishing out punishment in the process, much like Harris.
So, it’s not a surprise that both Steelers running backs are on the watch list for Brandt. Even Cordarrelle Patterson has had some Angry Runs success, winning three scepters in his career.
Based on the way the Steelers want to play this season under coordinator Arthur Smith, it feels safe to expect multiple scepters coming to the Steel City from Brandt and the GMFB crew this season once again.
