The Pittsburgh Steelers had the injury bug hit them hard on Sunday afternoon in a 23-20 season-opening victory against the Cincinnati Bengals. The most important offensive and defensive players on the team did not finish the game. T.J. Watt is reportedly only going to miss 5-6 weeks with a pec injury and running back, Najee Harris could play as soon as this weekend against the New England Patriots. The defensive scheme will be fine with the talent that surrounds the unit, but if Harris' injury is more serious than thought, head coach, Mike Tomlin may kick himself for not grabbing a formidable backup in the off-season.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Najee Harris (#22) warms up at Acrisure Stadium in a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks on August 13, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Barring injuries, Tomlin has been known to use one running back for the majority of the workload. Whoever is the starting guy will get the bulk of the carries. In past seasons, James Conner and DeAngelo Williams were solid backups, but after Harris suffered his Lisfranc injury in training camp, the immediate thought should have been to go grab a veteran ball carrier.
This is nothing against undrafted rookie, Jaylen Warren, but more so an evaluation of Tomlin's inability to use and plan for a two-running back system. He certainly believes in Warren and his future, but behind an offensive line that is far from fine tuned, the rookie may not be effective if Harris' injury continues to cause issues. Warren had just seven yards rushing on three carries Sunday afternoon.
Steelers running back, Jaylen Warren (#30) warms up prior to a 2022 preseason game at Acrisure Stadium | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Warren should be looked at as more of a project to develop rather than a starter. If Tomlin believed Harris was bullet proof and the backup running back would be irrelevant for the majority of the year, then handing Warren the #2 spot makes sense. But, after Harris began experiencing foot troubles in August, it should have led to a more aggressive move in terms of the running back position.
It will come back to bite the Steelers if the nagging injury to their Pro Bowl running back continues to persist. Harris looked slow, unable to cut hard and inefficient on Sunday carrying the ball 10 times for 23 yards before exiting. A weak offensive makes it hard to succeed running the football and it's something Harris didn't have to worry about until he got to the NFL.
If Harris has trouble running with the line in its current state, Warren will too. The depth needs to improve in this area and Tomlin has to admit that the team botched the position throughout the off-season. There were plenty of available options out there throughout the last eight months or so, but it's not too late. Devontae Booker, Latavius Murray and David Johnson all currently remain free agents.
David Johnson (#31) carries the ball as a member of the Arizona Cardinals. | Rick Scuteri / Associated Press
Tomlin is going to regret not planning for a legitimate two-running back system in 2022 if Harris goes down with an injury and Warren has to try and effectively run the ball if the poor run blocking from the offensive line continues. The Steelers overworked Harris in his first year and it is not far fetched to think that it is already catching up with his body. It's time to invest in a veteran who can make plays behind the line, even if Harris is close to 100%.
Do you believe that the Steelers and Tomlin need to stop neglecting depth at the running back position? Let us know in the comments below!
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