Pittsburgh Steelers RB Najee Harris just finished his fourth-straight 1,000-yard season, but like the first three of his career, it wasn’t very efficient, as Harris averaged just 4.0 yards on 263 carries, one year after setting a career-high with 4.1 yards per carry. Former NFL running back and currently analyst Maurice Jones-Drew ranked Harris No. 18 on his list of starting running backs from the 2024 season, but praised his reliability and durability.
“Sure, there are better options at the running back position than Harris, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a more durable and reliable back. He became just the third player in the last 20 seasons to have at least 1,000 rush yards in each of his first four NFL seasons, joining Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson. He may have just played his last down for Pittsburgh, but he’ll be an above-average runner somewhere, as long as he’s healthy,” Jones-Drew wrote for NFL.com.
Harris has played in all 17 games every season of his career, never missing a game due to injury, which is pretty remarkable for a running back. It’s one reason why he’s been able to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark every season, and Harris has performed well for the majority of his Steelers career. He started this season strong, but struggled a bit down the stretch, as did the rest of the offense, and it’s unlikely that he’ll return to the Steelers next year.
Harris was certainly durable and reliable, but he never really gave the production expected out of a running back who’s selected in the first round, as he was. Some of that can be attributed to the fact he never really ran behind a great offensive line, and he’s been most efficient over the last two seasons when the offensive line was playing well. But the return on investment likely hasn’t been what Pittsburgh expected, and the team declined his fifth-year option last May, which is why he’s now a pending free agent.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if a change of scenery benefitted Harris if he does indeed leave Pittsburgh. While his teammates, including TE Pat Freiermuth, want to see Harris stay, the Steelers seem ready to move on to Jaylen Warren and look for another running back in the draft. Najee Harris’ No. 18 ranking is a fair one, but the Steelers also would probably like to see their starting running back rank a bit higher, especially in OC Arthur Smith’s scheme. Finding someone who can elevate the rushing attack, be it Warren or another back, will be the goal this offseason.
