Steelers' Mike Tomlin Heaps Big Praise On Najee Harris "He's Been Really Solid"

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a desire to use the 2023 offseason as the chance to retool the running game. Having a blue-collar, gritty approach to football is a staple in Pittsburgh, and it has been missing from their identity in recent years. Other than bringing in offensive linemen through free agency and the draft, they needed Najee Harris to step up and be the anchor for the rushing attack. Looking back on the 2023 campaign, Head Coach Mike Tomlin has absolute faith that Harris is exactly what the Steelers need.

Steelers' Harris Is Consistent, And Tomlin Loves It

While the Steelers' 2023 running strategy turned out to be more of a two-headed monster system than the one-man bell-cow situation, that doesn't take anything away from what Harris has already accomplished. Coming out of Alabama in 2021, Harris had a high pedigree to go along with the enormous expectations for a running back taken in the first round. After three seasons in the NFL, Harris is a somewhat polarizing figure in Pittsburgh, but it hasn't held him back from producing at an impressive rate.

Tomlin spoke highly of what Harris has put together in his short professional career when the head coach of the Steelers gave his final press conference of the season. It isn't just the yardage that Harris compiled that Tomlin recognized; it was how the running back has been what the team needed when they needed it.

"Man, he's been what we've needed him to be. I read a stat, I think, you know, he's a 1,000-yard rusher three straight years, and how scarce that is. I just think that speaks to his consistency [and] availability. He's been really solid."

It was a challenging season for Harris, with a large amount of outside noise trying to creep into the locker room. Jaylen Warren made a surprising splash that earned him a 1B spot beside Harris. While some first-round running backs may have been frustrated at the prospect of sharing the backfield, it turned out to give Harris his best season yet.

Not only did Harris surpass the 1,000-yard mark for the third straight season, he did so while having the least amount of carries in his career (255) and the best average since he was drafted (4.1 yards per carry). Add onto that were his eight touchdowns, which is more than he has scored in a single year in his other two professional seasons. Tomlin doesn't expect Harris to slow down as he enters his fourth year in the NFL; in fact, he believes even more growth is on the horizon.

Steelers Eager To Build On Strong 2023 Finish

Pittsburgh's 2023 season didn't turn out how anyone expected, and the ups and downs made it a rather chaotic roller coaster at times. Injuries derailed momentum at every possible turn, with both defense and offense becoming shorthanded throughout the campaign. Despite all this, somehow, Tomlin got the team pointed in the right direction by claiming the final AFC spot in the 2023 playoffs. Their Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills aside, considering what the 2023 Steelers went through, any postseason berth for this squad was a massive accomplishment.

It never feels good to end any season with a loss because it means the team fell short of expectations. However, in the context of what Tomlin navigated the 2023 Steelers through, they ended up with more success than maybe even they believed was possible at times. Kenny Pickett wasn't exactly lighting up the scoreboard, but when he went down with an ankle injury and forced Mitch Trubisky into action, the bottom fell out. The three-game losing streak that was a result of that mishandling of the quarterback issue nearly eliminated the Steelers from the playoffs completely.

Looking ahead to the 2024 season, whatever transpires, the team knows they have to have a better plan in place for when the unexpected occurs. It's easy to look back and say that Mason Rudolph was the obvious choice for the starting job, but prior to him being the catalyst for their playoff berth, no one wanted him under center. Whether Rudolph returns in 2024 or not, the Steelers can't find themselves back in that quagmire again.

There is a huge amount of time between where the Steelers are now and when games will start to count in 2024, and there is a ton of work to be done. Luckily, after what the franchise went through in 2023, Tomlin will have the team ready for anything and everything they will come up against. Or at least, that is the hope among Pittsburgh fans.

Who should be the starting quarterback for the 2024 Steelers? 

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