The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Najee Harris in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Harris had a strong rookie season, rushing for 1,200 yards. Then in 2022, Harris' production dropped, as he rushed for only 1,034 yards. Now a former Steelers offensive guard, Ramon Foster, is speaking up about some of the blame that was placed on Harris.
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Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and guard Ramon Foster during a game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Foster hosts a podcast on DK Pittsburgh Sports with his co-host Dejan Kovacevic called The Ramon Foster Show. Kovacevic and Foster open a recent episode discussing how the Steelers spent a good chunk of the offseason building up the offense, making them "bigger, tougher, meaner" to help support Harris and the run game. Foster said we saw last year that the Steelers have a "premier" back in Harris and said the fans got to see Harris' passion.
"A guy who will fight for his right to run through people. Najee is special," said Foster. "You got a first-round running back in Najee Harris that showed crazy production in year one, has the personality of everything Pittsburgh - hardnose guy, straight shooter."
The Ramon Foster Show on DK Pittsburgh Sports
Former Steelers OG Ramon Foster and Dejan Kovacevic, co-host a podcast called The Ramon Foster Show.
Kovacevic agrees and says that he really saw the determination from Harris, especially when production dropped. He didn't blame Kenny Pickett or Matt Canada or the line, he bore the responsibility for the lack of yardage and sought ways to improve.
"Born a Steeler on and off the field. His passion is for the team succeeding. He talked about that when he arrived. He showed it to me on the field and off the field including when things weren't going well for him," said Kovacevic.
Harris attended not just all mandatory meetings for his position, but also offensive line meetings, according to Kovacevic. He made himself available to learn, to be encouraged and supported, and to support his teammates. Foster says this allows the line and Harris to collaborate on how to best get him running room.
Foster Says The Steelers Have To Help Najee Harris Manage His Success
Foster says players are competitive, they want to play, to get on the field and make a difference. Harris is no exception, he is going to want to be on the field every down. It's up to Head Coach Mike Tomlin to help manage that, but giving Harris the support staff he needs to be successful, as well as helping determine the number of touches. According to Foster, Pickett is still young and therefore needs the support of a strong run game.
"This team still wants to lay its head on the shoulders of the run game, I think Najee is a huge part of that, why would you not surround that guy?"
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Steelers running back, Jaylen Warren (#30) warms up prior to a 2022 preseason game at Acrisure Stadium. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
A big part of that "surrounding" of Harris is the addition last season of running back Jaylen Warren. Harris and Warren did a bit of "running back by committee" and its success was part of the improvements that appeared after the bye week. Foster also feels that the addition of Warren is critical, not because he is better than Harris, but because he boosts Harris' longevity.
"Year one for Najee, he had 307 rushing attempts and 74 receptions. That's a lot of touches for a young guy. Last year, 272. That's where you want Najee at, if you can keep him at 250 and productive and you get a longer career out of a guy like him. I'd love to see him be a second contract running back in Pittsburgh, make it a no-brainer when it comes to that fifth-year option."
Kovacevic brings up one thing about Harris that is a concern, breaking big runs.
"I love and respect Najee Harris. I absolutely love the impact he had over those last nine games and the way he went about it. One thing Najee doesn't do and has never done, including in college, is break big ones. He just doesn't have that pull-away speed."
Harris may not be that back that routinely has 30 and 40-yard runs, but he has shown he can fire up the engines and make some longer runs. He had a 42-yard run when he was at Alabama and he had two 30+ yard runs against the Browns last season.
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Steelers running back Najee Harris
As Kovacevic points out, we don't want to get in the business of comparing Harris to other backs. He has his own talents and abilities as do they. But there is a strong likelihood that with his continued hard work and the improvement of the offensive line, Harris will make more explosive plays. After all, we can't build a football team on the hope of our running back having consistent 50-yard pickups, no one can.
Foster agrees and says that it isn't a knock on Harris, your speed is your speed, and not everyone has that extra gear. But he does something that is needed and that something eats up the clock and wears down the opponent.
"I'd much rather see him have 7, 8, 12, 20 yards throughout the entirety of the game. Because then the defense leaves that game like, 'god dog, we just got beat down.'"
What do you think about Foster and Kovacevic's comments? Do you think the Steelers worked to build up the offense to help improve the run game and specifically Najee Harris? Click to comment below.
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