Addressing the Steelers’ Backfield Splits
Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
It took them three games, but the Pittsburgh Steelers finally eclipsed 100 total rushing yards on the season on Sunday night in Las Vegas against the Raiders.
The running game is struggling in Pittsburgh, and the criticism is growing. Najee Harris, who in seasons previous looked like a potentially burgeoning star, has become the focal point of Steelers Nation’s ire.
Entering Sunday Night Football, Harris had the worst mark of yards-under-expected with -183 in the league. He did have his best game of the season against the Raiders, but if 19 carries for 65 yards is what you’re hoping to get, it may be time to start looking elsewhere in the production share. Meanwhile, Jaylen Warren has become everyone’s go to fix for a run game that barely started showing life on Sunday night.
Mike Florio of profootballtalk.com was all over the organization in a recent column asking for a change:
“As to Warren, it’s simple. He has burst and explosion. Najee Harris does not, at least not to the same extent… It’s a simple fix. And it’s not just on Canada to make it. Tomlin coaches the team. Others are in positions of influence. If an idiot like me can figure out what needs to happen, surely the Steelers can, too.”
The Steelers have had to completely rely on the arm of young QB Kenny Pickett for any semblance of offense to begin the season. The results have spoken for themselves. Despite Pickett’s promise, he and the offense have looked completely off schedule and bewildered without the support of a run game. On Sunday, as soon as a rushing attack was even a miniscule threat, Pickett had his best game of the year throwing for 235 yards and two TDs, and had a passer rating of 108.5.
Jaylen Warren isn’t exactly blowing Harris out of the water, but to this point he seems to pose a bigger threat to defenses. Warren is a more versatile back, showing a much better ability in the passing game reflected by his 68.5 receiving grade (24th in the NFL) compared to Harris’ 39.9 PFF grade (90th in the NFL). Warren is slightly edging out Harris in yards per carry with 3.6 as compared to 3.4. But In 2022, Warren averaged 4.9 yards per carry compared to Harris’ 3.8 in 2022 as a whole.
This season, Warren is Bringing in 8.4 yards per reception, while Harris averages 0.7. Warren would also top him in 2022, averaging 7.6 yards per reception to Harris’ 5.6.
It does seem, however, that Pittsburgh has begun to give Warren more of a workload in the passing game. He has quadruple the number of catches and almost triple the number of targets Harris has so far this year, when in 2022 Harris had 13 more catches on 20 more targets. Harris has only been targeted six times in the air this year and caught three of them, compared to Warren’s 16 targets and 12 receptions.
So where does Najee hold an advantage over Warren?
Harris is much more of a physical runner and is, of course, an all-around bigger back. His advantage over Warren is his ability to take on contact and finish through it, averaging 3.4 yards per attempt after contact, showing up Warren’s 2.65 per. Harris is also a much more refined pass blocker, where his frame does aid him. PFF has awarded him a 56.5 pass-block grade (which is still only 67th in the NFL), and Warren an 18.7 (97th in the NFL). But despite these numbers, those closest to the team aren’t buying it. Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette took to his recent chat to offer his belief that Harris isn’t doing enough to justify his time.
“Harris is stuttering-stepping too much. Too much dancing in the hole. He had the same issues last season. For as big as he is you would think he has a natural inclination for contact, but he does not. Warren is much better at seeing and hitting the hole hard. But here we are, and Harris is still getting more touches than Warren… It’s more and more noticeable every week. Harris got off to a terrible start last year too. I thought he was better against the Raiders but he’s still not playing well.”
This all begs the question, is it really worth giving up the physicality of Najee Harris for the balanced back in Jaylen Warren?
Opinions may vary, and it seems Pittsburgh is starting to give a more balanced approach at least in the passing game. Harris has been a net negative and doesn’t seem to move the needle for the Steelers’ offense like they expected when they drafted him in the first round. He has been a workhorse, but it might be fair to say that Warren is a better fit if they want to give Pickett the keys to the car. Wanting to have a ground-and-pound attack is completely understandable, but it just isn’t working. Wanting Harris is on some passing downs is understandable for his “better” blocking ability, but is it really worth keeping Warren off the field In situations where he could make big time receiving plays out of the backfield?
It all seems to point one direction. There is a decent argument for one back to get snaps over the other. But only Matt Canada and the coaching staff can make that decision. if they continue to skew the way of Harris and it continues to not work, the critical voices, both locally and nationally, will certainly grow louder.
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