Player: RB Najee Harris
Stock Value: Sold
Reasoning: The Steelers appear to have never made an offer to RB Najee Harris, which is and isn’t surprising. Many believe they decided to move on last year, evidenced by not exercising his fifth-year option. Instead, they placed a second-round free-agent tender on Jaylen Warren, turning to other options in free agency and the draft. It marks the end of a curious four-year tenure, from which both sides may benefit.
The Steelers viewed Najee Harris as a workhorse running back when they drafted him, which is why they drafted him in the first round in 2021, believing that he could withstand the load. He proved capable of that, but they stumbled onto a better way a year later. That better way came in the shape of a human bowling ball named Jaylen Warren.
A college free agent in 2022, Warren is now Pittsburgh’s lead back. Najee Harris averaged 319 touches per season for the Steelers, so that will be quite a bit to replace. He also proved very durable and rarely fumbled.
Part of the problem is that their intentions never matched their reality. For the way the Steelers wanted to play, Najee Harris would have made a great running back. Granted, he would still have issues reading the hole and lacked long speed. But with a better offensive line and scheme, he could have produced a much more robust run success rate than he managed.
Harris started 68 games for the Steelers over four years. He rushed for 4,312 yards on 1,907 carries, going over 1,000 yards each year. He scored 28 rushing touchdowns, adding another six on the ground. While Jaylen Warren ate into his passing-down snaps, he caught 180 passes for 1,149 yards.
During the 2024 season, his last with the Steelers, Najee Harris rushed for 1,043 yards, averaging 4.0 yards per rush. He has a career-low six touchdowns, adding 36 receptions for 283 yards. While not charged with a fumble, he did have a rather costly one that the official gamebook blames on Russell Wilson.
With the new league year underway and the Steelers turning their roster over, it’s once again time to “take stock”. It took a while, but we finally saw some of that change the team talked about after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract.
There is still a long way to go before we know what this Steelers team is going to look like. Once the dust settles on free agency, we turn our attention to the draft and so on. What other moves might the team make, perhaps unexpected acquisitions or departures? If they traded for one player, they could certainly trade for another or trade one away. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?
