As Jaylen Warren’s workload and snap count have increased recently, Najee Harris has declined for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s led to plenty of questions about the Black and Gold’s pecking order in the backfield.
Head coach Mike Tomlin waved it off, stating it had to do with how the games unfolded, and now offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is doing the same thing. Speaking with reporters Wednesday ahead of the regular season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals, Smith stated that who plays at RB depends on how the game is going and added that it’s a good problem to have with three running backs in Warren, Harris, and Cordarrelle Patterson who can contribute.
“You go and you plan, and sometimes it just depends how the game is going. In the Kansas City game, I thought we ran it well. The first couple, we weren’t clean. That wasn’t on ‘Naj’ [Najee Harris]. And then Jaylen [Warren] benefitted early on and did a nice job with the opportunities. But I thought we got rolling in the run game, but again, it goes back to all 11,” Smith said of the running back pecking order and how the workload has been distributed, according to the official transcript provided by the team. “Sometimes it may be the back misses the track or misses the read. That can happen. There was a couple things that we weren’t clean early on, and we go to the sideline and go and make sure we are good at it.
“Good on those adjustments, and you get rolling that way. But you’ve got to plan going in.”
Like Mike Tyson once said, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.
That goes for the Steelers, too. They can have a game script going in that they want to try and follow, but that goes out the window when things transpire. That’s been the case in recent weeks, where the offense has gotten off to a slow start, the defense hasn’t been able to get stops, and next thing you know, the Steelers are playing catch-up.
Once in catch-up mode, that tends to lean more towards Warren than Harris, who is more of a receiving threat and pass protector than Harris. This played out in recent weeks as Warren has out-snapped Harris 103 to 65 in the three-game losing streak.
“I think Jaylen is playing really well and I think ‘Naj’ has been consistent the whole time he’s been in Pittsburgh. I think there’s a lot to be said for his durability and consistency over four seasons,” Smith said of the running back room. “It’s a good problem to have all.
“All three can contribute but it’s nice to have Jaylen back because that’s another weapon to account for.”
In the last three weeks, Warren has really found his game again, averaging just over 5.7 yards per touch. He’s been a significant factor in the run game in recent weeks, recording a season-high 71 yards on 11 carries against the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day. He has been a dependable receiving weapon out of the backfield.
Harris, on the other hand, recorded his fourth straight 1,000-yard season with 74 yards on 13 carries against the Chiefs, though much of that came in garbage time. Smith also included Cordarrelle Patterson in the discussion, which isn’t surprising.
Smith has a long history with Patterson, and the veteran has done some nice things this season for the Steelers offensively, though scheming up touches for him and certain looks seems counterproductive.
But it’s a nice problem for the Steelers entering the playoffs, where the weather won’t be great, and the run game and physicality will be all the more important.
