In case you haven't heard, the Pittsburgh Steelers running game has continued to struggle in 2023, despite the investment into becoming more physical. While Najee Harris does have back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns to start his career, he still hasn't lived up to the billing of a first-round pick. Instead, he's began to lose snaps to backup Jaylen Warren.
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Steelers running back Najee Harris (#22) still has yet to live up to expectations of a former first-rounder, which leads to an unclear future in Pittsburgh.
It seems like the Steelers front office is well aware of these struggles as well, as they have apparently inquired about trading for a notable running back. That would be Indianapolis Colts star Jonathan Taylor, who has yet to appear in a game this season. According to beat writer Destin Adams of AtoZ Sports, the Steelers are one of several teams that have reached out to the Colts about Taylor.
This is interesting for several reasons. First of all, Harris obviously still has two years remaining on his rookie contract. As a result, it's reasonable to expect him to be included in the Steelers' potential offer. A backfield of Taylor and Harris wouldn't make much sense for the Steelers, especially with Warren's emergence in the passing game. Now in his second season, Warren would still be an excellent complementary option to Taylor.
If you haven't been following along with Taylor and the Colts, well, he's in the midst of a Le'Veon Bell-like holdout. The team doesn't want to pay him top-notch money, and his relationship soured with controversial owner Jim Irsay. This would mean that if someone does trade for Taylor, it would be with the mindset that a contract extension would need to be reached.
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Former Steelers' running back Le'Veon Bell excelled during his time in Pittsburgh, but contract disputes ended in an ugly breakup.
Taylor, in the final year of his deal, is reportedly looking for between $14 and $15 million per year on a future deal. Trade compensation for him wouldn't be light either, although the inclusion of Harris would help the value of the deal. For the Colts though, it may not make much sense considering the fact that they would have to extend Harris in a year or two anyways.
Are The Steelers Ready To Move On From Harris?
Now the Colts initially placed Taylor on the PUP list at the beginning of the season, ruling him out for the first four weeks. He is eligible to return in a week now, which led to some speculation that he could return to the Colts if things had gotten better. Well, they haven't, as ESPN's Dan Graziano reported on Wednesday. Not only does Taylor not want to return, but the Colts are still unwilling to give him a big contract.
The Colts have gotten off to a 2-1 start in 2023, led by promising rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson. Albeit still early in the season, they lead the AFC South thus far. Former third-rounder Zack Moss has taken over duties at running back the last two weeks, and he's stepped up in a big way. On the season, he has 48 carries for 210 rushing yards along with two total touchdowns.
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Steelers backup Jaylen Warren's receiving abilities has given him more playing time in 2023, as he continues to push former first-rounder Najee Harris.
In other words, the Colts are sitting just fine without Taylor in the lineup. That may motivate them even more to trade Taylor, who remains disgruntled with his situation. It remains unlikely that the Steelers would end up trading for Taylor, but it's interesting that they at least reached out. It signifies their potential distrust in Harris, who was once seen as a franchise running back.
Would trading for Taylor be worth it for the Steelers? If they were to trade for him, what's the biggest contract that you would give him? Do you think Pittsburgh is ready to give up on Najee Harris quite yet? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!
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