The Pittsburgh Steelers went into the 2021 NFL Draft looking for the next great franchise running back, and they believed they had found him after drafting Najee Harris out of Alabama with the 24th overall pick. After several years in the NFL, Harris has had a roller coaster of a career so far, with a blend of frustration and exemplary talent. One move in particular that Harris has become well-known for is when the running back hurdles over defenders to avoid potential tackles. As exciting as that may be, one former Steelers player would prefer Harris to avoid mid-air leaps and focus on a more bruising style.
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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris has found success in 2023 by being part of a two-pronged rushing attack
Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Disappointed In Najee's Hurdle
During Pittsburgh's 2023 Week 10 victory over the Green Bay Packers, the Steelers had the ball late in the fourth quarter with a one-point lead, less than six minutes in the game, and a chance to pull ahead of the Packers. On a second and ten, Kenny Pickett threw a short pass to Harris near the sidelines, where the running back took to the air with one of his signature hurdles, but this time, it wasn't completely successful.
Ben Roethlisberger was live-streaming the Week 10 game against the Packers on his Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger podcast, and when Harris went for the hurdle, Roethlisberger was visibly frustrated. As the officiating crew was sorting out whether Harris had made the first down marker, Roethlisberger expressed his opinion on how often Harris chooses the hurdle instead of simply running through the defender.
"There's the jump. He's gonna get hurt, he gets slammed... All he does is jump."
Merril Hoge also joined the podcast on Sunday, and he wasn't too impressed with Harris's choice to attempt a vault over the Green Bay player. Hoge noted that Harris is nearly 250 pounds, so the natural choice should be to run through or over any defender on the way to a first down. Roethlisberger continued to question Harris's choice to hurdle, saying that by doing so, he made it that much harder to get the first down.
Roethlisberger had been watching with a relatively calm demeanor up until that point, but after Harris' attempted jump, there was a renewed energy of frustration on the podcast, with Roethlisberger breaking down exactly why Harris should avoid going airborne altogether.
"Here's my thing: if Najee doesn't jump this guy and puts his shoulder down and runs the guy over, he gets the first down. He jumps him and gets carried, so he loses all his momentum," Roethlisberger said. "He's 250-some pounds. Now that's a big guy. Go! Run him over! Run that guy over, and you got the first down! Man, put him down and run him over, and you are guaranteed the first down, and you avoid this landing."
The 2023 Steelers haven't been a well-oiled machine on offense, so every missed opportunity to get that first down or that splash play means more than it would to consistent, stable offenses. Harris may feel confident enough to try that hurdle, but perhaps the focus should first be on running the ball well and then sprinkle in the fancy moves.
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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren has quickly become the more productive of Pittsburgh's two running backs in 2023
Steelers Benefit From Leaning Towards Warren
Harris is a first-round draft pick, and Jaylen Warren is an undrafted free agent, but when you compare their success rates during the 2023 season, you will begin to see that the Steelers have gained more ground through Warren than Harris.
That isn't to say that Pittsburgh should ignore Harris and focus entirely on Warren, but during Harris' first two seasons, the Steelers put the full weight of the offense onto his shoulders. While that strategy got Harris results, it isn't sustainable over the career of a running back, so Pittsburgh needed a secondary answer in the backfield.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin needs to nurture this new two-headed backfield in order for 2023 to be successful on offense
That is where Warren comes in because he hasn't just become a complementary back to what Harris brings; he is starting to be the primary source of success for Pittsburgh's 2023 rushing attack. On paper, it looks like Harris has brought more to the Steelers running game, with 464 yards on the season compared to Warren's 364 yards, but the difference is that Harris is averaging 4.0 yards on 116 carries, Warren is averaging a full yard more per carry at 5.1 through 2023. Over the course of an entire season, that one-yard gap becomes quite significant, and it is already showing up on the field.
Who will finish with more yards in 2023, Najee Harris or Jaylen Warren?
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