Buy Or Sell: It’s time for the Steelers and Najee Harris to move on.
Explanation: Since the Steelers drafted Najee Harris in the first round in 2021, he has rushed for 1,000-plus yards annually. He is the only player to manage that feat in that four-year span, but to what end? He is not one of the game’s elite running backs. But he could still be a very effective and durable option behind an improved offensive line.
Buy:
I don’t advocate for change for the sake of change, but the Steelers don’t need Najee Harris. They already have Jaylen Warren, and Harris is replaceable enough. Any durable running back of reasonable ability with a similar workload would have done the same thing he did here. Availability is the best ability, they say, but that’s only a starting point. Being available doesn’t do you much good without active abilities. Availability is simply the absence of injury and the tendency to avoid them.
The bottom line is Najee Harris has had four years to prove himself, to improve, to grow. He is the same player the Steelers drafted in 2021, however, with no clear signs of a path toward more. So if the Steelers already know who he is, and they already have Jaylen Warren, why not try for better?
Sell:
The Steelers absolutely have to make a change in the running back room, but it’s not Najee Harris. The easy and obvious move is releasing Cordarrelle Patterson, whose $3 million base salary can be used to help retain Harris. Unless he commands more than $7-8 million per season, parting ways now doesn’t make much sense.
Not on the eve of the Steelers finally having the offensive line they’ve been working toward. Broderick Jones at left tackle, Troy Fautanu at right, Zach Frazier in the middle, two mauling guards. This is the kind of offensive line the Steelers wanted Najee Harris to be able to run behind. And now that they are finally going to have it, they are going to walk away from him? No, he’s not going to break off many 40-yard runs, but there is every reason to believe he would have his best season in 2025.
With the Steelers’ 2024 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2025 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2025, and they need everyone healthy to do it. They needed a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
