The Pittsburgh Steelers were building the proverbial plane while it was in the air during the 2022 season. Longtime quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had retired and the team had a lot of offensive turmoil. They brought in veteran quarterback Mitch Trubisky and drafted rookie Kenny Pickett. There were young players all over the offense and an offensive coordinator that seemed to have questionable abilities. The Steelers' running game was also taking a lot of criticism until they chose to employ a new "running back by committee" method that was much more successful.
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Kenny Pickett is the future of the Pittsburgh Steelers at the quarterback position.
That running back committee consisted of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Harris was selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of the University of Alabama. During his time at Alabama, Harris made a name for himself as a powerful, athletic back. He could often be seen hurdling over defenders on his way to the end zone.
Harris had an outstanding rookie season with 1,200 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He also made 74 receptions for another 467 yards and three more touchdowns. He finished fourth in rushing yards and all-purpose yards, while leading all running backs in receptions. His 381 touches led the league and he had zero fumbles.
The 2022 season came and fans saw a different Harris. During the first eight games of the season, he rarely amassed more than 50 yards a game and had only three touchdowns. Rumors had swirled after Harris acknowledged he suffered a Lisfranc sprain during training camp. There was concern that he wasn't physically himself. There were also debates over how much the play-calling from Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada was playing a part, or if it was caused by the changes at the quarterback position.
Warren was signed by Pittsburgh in 2022 as an undrafted rookie free agent. He impressed the coaches and his teammates at training camp and earned himself a spot on the final roster. During his rookie season, he shared snaps with Harris, playing in all 16 games. He had 77 carries for 379 yards and one touchdown. He also had 28 receptions for another 214 yards.
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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris.
After the team had their bye week in 2022, they came back markedly improved. Pickett had taken over at quarterback during Week 4 and it felt like they were finally all working together as a unit. This included the running game, with Harris showing major improvements. It now appears that it was that foot bothering him and he was struggling to plant it and go. Those last nine weeks, he averaged 74.8 yards per game.
It wasn't just Harris that was better those last nine weeks either. The offensive line was much better, the quarterback was better, heck even the play-calling seemed better. All of this bodes well for Harris going into the 2023 season.
Will Steelers' Najee Harris Lose His Starting Job To Jaylen Warren?
The 2023 preseason is firmly in our rearview mirror and we are looking ahead to the Week 1 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. Warren is slated to be Harris' backup, despite Warren getting more plays than Harris during the preseason. Even being named backup, there are still those who believe that Warren will overtake Harris for the starting job before the end of the season. One such person is Dan Graziano, who is a senior NFL reporter for ESPN.
Graziano recently wrote an article predicting potential 2023 surprises for all 32 NFL teams. He said fans should not be surprised if Warren is the lead running back by the end of the season. He goes on to contradict himself a bit with his assessment of Harris.
"Yes, Najee Harris was the team's first-round pick in 2021. Yes, he has been a productive and reliable No. 1 back in his first two years, even as the offense overall struggled. And yes, he was coming off a foot injury at the start of last season, which helps explain why his production didn't live up to that of his rookie year. So Harris is still firmly in the Steelers' plans and opens the season as their top back."
Harris is not going to be the kind of back that routinely picks up long runs, but he has shown himself to be powerful and durable, able to drag defenders behind him and grab an extra yard. He and Warren are two different types of running backs and it makes sense for Head Coach Mike Tomlin to utilize both of them, maximizing their capabilities, to benefit the team.
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Steelers running back Jaylen Warren celebrates after a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers in 2022.
Graziano started by saying that Steelers fans should be prepared to see more of Warren and less of Harris. He then applauded Harris for his abilities and acknowledged that Tomlin kept Harris fresh during the preseason by utilizing Warren more. Graziano further confuses readers with his closing statement.
"But Warren's performance in practice and games has demanded a larger role for him than what Pittsburgh had planned a year ago. He has shown the ability to spell Harris whenever asked, and he has actually looked more explosive in some areas. Unless Harris looks more like the 2021 version of himself than the 2022 version, Warren's opportunity could increase dramatically as the year goes on."
Harris definitively showed everyone that he was healed from his injury and back to his old form. Or maybe Graziano is just one of the many haters who remain bitter that we drafted a back in the first round. The best thing for Pittsburgh is to have that dual-threat at running back. The best kind of dual-threat isn't two players that are exactly the same, it is two players you use differently in different situations. Right now we have that with Warren and Harris.
What do you think about Graziano's comments? Is this just a clickbait type of article, or do you think Warren might steal Harris' job? Click to comment below.
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