It was a rather trying offseason for Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris, one that saw him have his fifth-year option declined by the franchise that selected him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
That move put Harris into a contract year despite his three straight 1,000-yard seasons to open his career in the Black and Gold.
Some players can take that decision and fold, and others can be emboldened by it, seize the opportunity, and run with it. So far, that’s what Harris has done. The former Alabama standout hit the ground running in training camp, leaning further into a leadership role after coming in with the right mindset and in great shape.
The numbers this season, outside of Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts, have been strong as he rushed for 70 yards against the Atlanta Falcons, 69 yards against the Denver Broncos, and 70 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers.
That type of start to the season, one in which he’s run hard and been consistent, has pleased head coach Mike Tomlin. Tomlin spoke highly of Harris to Steelers.com’s Bob Labriola ahead of the Sunday Night Football matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
“I’ve been pleased with the trajectory of his game. He started faster this year than he has in other years, but he came into camp really ready to go. He was in top-notch condition,” Tomlin said of Harris, according to Steelers.com. “He’s at that point in his career where he’s still young but yet experienced, and so it’s reasonable to expect him to start with fluidity and be productive.
“And so I like where we are. Obviously, there’s still some growth ahead of us, for him and for the collective, particularly as it pertains to the run game, but I like where he is.”
Plenty of growth is still needed within the Steelers’ run game, especially after their Week 4 performance in the 27-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Though the Steelers rushed for 122 yards on the day with two rushing touchdowns on 30 total carries, most of the damage was done by quarterback Justin Fields and backup running back Cordarrelle Patterson. Harris really struggled to get going, but it wasn’t like he was missing holes or anything.
He had nowhere to go, which was frustrating for all parties involved. And that is largely due to how teams are playing him.
Teams are more aggressive in attacking downhill against Harris, clogging up lanes and bottling him in. With running backs like Patterson and even Warren, defenses aren’t as aggressive in attacking downhill, allowing linemen to get more hats on defenders and providing more lanes for the run game.
It’s something that Tomlin acknowledged in his conversation with Labriola, too.
“No question. That’s why everybody loves the supplementary runner. We’re playing Dallas today. For example, when Ezekiel Elliott was the featured runner and Tony Pollard was the auxiliary runner, everybody loved the auxiliary runner. The primary ball carrier gets attention in a certain way. There’s nothing sexy about their jobs,” Tomlin said of Harris and the differences in how defenses play him compared to backups. “Oftentimes the auxiliary runner just simply by concept, by circumstances of the game like second-and-10 draw plays, have more running lanes. The nuts and bolts primary runner, that’s a dirty job at times. Because we’re playing Dallas today, a few years ago when they had Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, everybody was really attracted to Tony Pollard, to his yards per carry. It’s kind of like the backup quarterback.
“Everybody loves the backup quarterback. Everybody loves the auxiliary runner, but the attention they get and the circumstances in which they run are often different than the primary ballcarrier.”
It’s great to hear Tomlin finally put that into words, as it’s been a common belief. It’s clear on film that defenses are doing that against Harris and not so much against the other running backs on the roster, but it was often viewed as an excuse to try and defend Harris.
That wasn’t the case, though. It was just pointing out that defenses play against Harris differently, defending him differently and making life very hard for him. This won’t change unless the Steelers’ offense can block a bit better and spread things out more when Harris is on the field, lightening the box.
Until then, though, Tomlin remains pleased with Harris’ play. He has played well but needs a bounce back in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys in primetime.
