The Pittsburgh Steelers currently have a record of 2-1 and are at the top of the AFC North, despite a rough Week 1 opener against the San Francisco 49ers. It wasn't an easy first three games and credit should be given, despite not the best football being played. The defense has been solid overall, but the offense has several adjustments to make going forward. Mike Tomlin's team has only accounted for 201 total rushing yards, which is ranked 30th in the NFL. Najee Harris has been rather ineffective and Jaylen Warren is inching closer and closer to stepping in as the lead back in Pittsburgh.
Steelers running back, Jaylen Warren (#30) warms up prior to a 2022 preseason game at Acrisure Stadium. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / Steeler Nation (Twitter / X: JSKO_PHOTO)
If the average fan takes a look at Harris's numbers throughout his first two years or so, the main stats of yards on the ground and touchdowns are certainly respectable. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards in his first two full seasons while finding the end zone seven times each year. He has not had a strong offensive line to run behind and has struggled if a hole is not immediately open.
The running back has also added six receiving touchdowns in his career up to this point. It's hard to argue his productivity in the red zone, but when one takes a deeper dive, he hasn't been all that effective in a key statistical category. Ball carriers are judged on how many yards they can get on each carry, and Harris has yet to show explosiveness in that area.
He remains at under 3.9 yards per rush for his career, which points to the fact that the big men up front haven't been as effective as they need to be, but also that Harris has not been able to improvise enough to be more dynamic in the ground game. This is an area that Steelers football relies on to be successful and it hasn't answered the call since Harris was drafted in 2021.
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Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Najee Harris (#22) smiles as he participates in warmups prior to a 2023 training camp practice in Latrobe, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter / X: JSKO_PHOTO)
The run game still wasn't overly impressive against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday Night Football. It was better than the first two weeks of the 2023 season, but Harris still only rushed for 65 yards on 19 carries, which was only good for 3.4 yards per attempt. Collectively, Pittsburgh accounted for 31 runs with a total of 105 yards (still only 3.4 yards per rush).
Steelers Offensive Line And Harris Has A Conversation About Lack Of Success Running The Ball
Mike Prisuta of the team's official website gave a review on the 23-18 win against the Raiders on Monday. He focused on the rushing attack and the Steelers commitment to running the football on Sunday night. Statistically, it wasn't pretty at all, but the effort was at least there to get the ball to running backs to set up the play-action. Harris said he wants the calls to be determined by what makes his blockers comfortable.
"Me and the O-Line sat down and we talked about what runs we think work best, that they like. And they asked me what I like, but I never tell 'em what I like because it doesn't matter what I like. They like these runs and they executed, so O-Line won the game for us."
This should draw a bit of a red flag because Harris hasn't proven that he can adapt quickly based on what the line up front is giving him. He has consistently looked hesitant and far from what a former first-round ball carrier should look like on the field. Overall, Harris is wrong. The offensive line did not win a game for you when the rushing attack as a whole averaged 3.4 yards per carry. Something needs to change and Harris needs to step up and draw attention to anything that is causing him not to see the field and/or holes properly.
Steelers offensive lineman, James Daniels (#78) prepares to get set as the team warms up and runs through plays prior to a 2022 regular season game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter / X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
There was a little improvement in the running game against the Raiders, but it was nothing to write home about. The offensive line didn't necessarily win the game for the team, either. They deserve to be cut some slack, seeing as it took months for the line to gel in 2022, but that can't be the case if the Steelers want to make some noise in the AFC in 2023. The front office invested in the group and if Harris can't improvise with what they want to do, Warren needs to step in.
Do you think the Steelers should make Warren the featured back? Let us know in the comments below!
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