Is It Do Or Die Time For Najee Harris In 2023? Is The Former First Round Pick Capable Of A Breakthrough?

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris is entering his third NFL season in 2023. Many believe that it is going to be a critical year for him if he wants the team to pick up his fifth-year option in 2024.

EMILEE CHINN / GETTY IMAGES

He recently caught some shots from a radio host after the hometown Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed one of their players. During the show, Andrew Fillipponi is quoted as saying:

“It's the most aggravated and angered I have been by a team's move in this town since the Steelers used a first-round pick on Najee Harris,” 93.7 The Fan host Andrew Fillipponi said during a show. “Because all I heard then was don't use first-round picks on running backs. They're not durable. They don't last. You can find running backs anywhere.”

The question to ask is, does he have a point? Now, Fillipponi is known on twitter, rather infamously, for some very hot takes. These takes usually rub the Steelers' faithful fans the wrong way and this is no exception. Many will write this off as ludicrous, but let's just take a look and see if there is any truth. 

Let's Recap:

There have been a heap of expectations placed on Harris since his first-round selection in 2021, and understandably so. The 2020 season ended in horrific fashion with a loss to the division rival, Cleveland Browns in the playoffs. The Browns had not made the playoffs since 2002, and their last playoff win was in 1994, so that loss by the Steelers stung that much more. That loss was the salt in the 2020 regular season's wound. The Steelers were filled with hope after an 11-0 start, but lost four of their last five. 

That all led up to the 2021 NFL Draft, where many fans wanted to see the Steelers acquire a true difference maker and a player that could help them reload to put them over the top. With the NFL transitioning away from using up high value assets on a running back, fans left the 2021 draft with more questions than answers. Why draft a running back high when the offensive line is still a work in progress? There was an aging quarterback and no real back up plan. Was this the best course of action? 

Is The Criticism Warranted?

During his rookie campaign, Harris was a workhorse of a running back. Even with a subpar offensive line and a quarterback in the twilight of his career, he was able to do some damage. In 2021, he put up 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns on 307 attempts. These stats on paper sound pretty good, but the problem is that he finished that year with a pretty poor 3.9 yards per carry. For reference, the very best backs in the NFL average five yards per carry or over, and average backs give you four yards per carry. 

The expectation was, and still is, that Harris can join that club of elite five yards per carry backs, even after he statistically regressed in 2022 in almost every category. His yards shrunk to 1,034 on a decreased 272 carries, yards per carry also decreased to 3.8. He even saw a decreased role in the passing game with receptions and yardage compared to 2021. 

Giving Harris the benefit of the doubt, the 2021 offensive line was not elite by any means, but he had a future Hall of Fame quarterback under center. In 2022, the offensive line was pretty much unchanged and the Steelers were in a transition year under center. In 2023, with all the changes to the offense, Harris should look to improve. 

Is It Do Or Die Time?

In a way, yes it is. Kenny Pickett is going into year two, Matt Canada is going into year three, and has promised to ‘open up the play book more’. Omar Khan worked his magic and revamped this offensive line, while the receiving core is as explosive as ever. With all of these positive changes, the expectations couldn’t be higher for Harris coming into 2023. 

Fans may not demand drastic changes, but questions may start to be asked if Harris can’t produce this season. Although the quote from Fillipponi may have been a little over the top, he does have a point. Jaylen Warren (an undrafted pick up in 2022) did show flashes as a backup. Although the Steelers' staff loves Harris’ personality and locker room attitude, if this year shows more regression, the calls for Warren to start will only get louder. 

Harris should feel pretty good about his starting spot going into 2023. He was drafted with the expectation that he can turn into the franchise's next superstar running back. He will have ample opportunity to showcase his talents with a revamped offense around him. Fans have hope that Harris can ascend to his true potential and show the NFL what he is made of. 

Does Harris rise to the occasion or does he continue to be just another running back? Let us know in the comments below. 

#SteelerNation