Najee Harris Has Never Had An Opportunity Like This
Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports
When the Pittsburgh Steelers decided not to pick up Najee Harris’ fifth-year option, conventional wisdom said Harris had not produced at a level the Steelers were comfortable with to extend his contract. While Harris has been fine, it’s clear the front office is looking for more from the fourth-year running back out of Alabama.
Harris started his career with a solid rookie season. 1,200 yards rushing on 307 attempts and seven touchdowns is nothing to sneeze at. Throw in 74 catches for another 467 yards and three scores, some would say Harris was on his way to stardom.
From there, Harris has seen a dip in his production. The wheels haven’t fallen off by any means, but there has been a considerable drop in statistics. Some are his fault. Some were out of his control. The latter appears to be fixed, so let’s start there.
Following the 2021 season, Ben Roethlisberger retired. While Big Ben wasn’t at his best his last season, teams still needed to account for his ability to get the ball out of his hand quickly. But more importantly, the future Hall of Famer was able to recognize and get out of a bad run play, and put the Steelers into a good one based on formation and alignment.
Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky or Mason Rudolph were given the latitude to be able to do that on a regular basis, but their lack of game sense meant the offense suffered for that. Former offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s lack of imagination also played a huge role in why the offense seemed stuck in the mud for the better part of the past two seasons.
The pedestrian play of the offensive line can’t be overstated enough in the acceleration of Harris’s two-year decline. While the line was bad in 2021, Roethlisberger’s presence created holes by itself, whereas in the following two seasons, those holes suddenly stopped existing. Without opponents respecting the ability of the Steelers quarterbacks to beat them, they stacked the box to eliminate the run. If you’re unable to get out of those bad run plays like we previously mentioned, it’s a recipe for disaster.
Too many times in the last two years, we have seen Harris dodging guys in the backfield before he can even get started. The line just wasn’t able to generate the type of movement or running lanes for any running back to be consistently successful.
Jaylen Warren’s emergence has also taken some steam out of the development of Harris. Having a 1-2 punch can lengthen a running back’s career, but it also takes touches away from them to be able to produce. Last year Harris saw a drop in both his carries and receptions, mostly because Warren was so effective when he came into the game.
Injuries have slowed him a bit as well. While you can never blame a player for being hurt, the old saying goes “the best ability is availability.” Harris has never missed a game or a start, but he has played through some tough injuries that have slowed him down.
With all that being said, this is an opportunity that the former Doak Walker Award winner has never had. For instance, Arthur Smith’s offense is tailor-made for him: A run-heavy offense that loves to throw the ball to weapons out of the backfield. With an increased imagination and deception in Smith’s run concepts, this is an offense built for someone like Harris to thrive.
The Steelers have also put an emphasis on the offensive line in the last two drafts. Broderick Jones was selected with the 14th pick in 2023 to solidify the left tackle spot. Troy Fautanu was taken with the 20th pick in the 2024 draft, and the Steelers grabbed Zach Frazier at No. 51 overall in the second round to secure a struggling line. Both Jones and Fautanu were considered draft-day steals based on their potential and raw ability.
The quarterback play should be immensely better, no matter who wins the job. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are just flat-out better than the QB room of the previous two seasons. Especially with Wilson, his ability to get out of a bad play and into a good one (just as Big Ben once did) will help everyone on the offense. Fields’ ability to run the read option would bring a whole new element to an offense, as the backside defender will have to stay at home versus crashing down to defend the wide stretch zone running game that Smith’s offense is known for.
All of this is to the advantage of any running back. But for Harris, this is a dream come true considering he is in a contract year. So while he has had a dip in production, he has never had the weapons or offensive creativity at his disposal. We should all expect big things from him, which is great news for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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