Steelers' Najee Harris' Recent Struggles A Result Of Serious Mistake By Coaching Staff

The Pittsburgh Steelers' offense was on fire after the coaching staff inserted Russell Wilson into the starting lineup, including a huge spike in Najee Harris' production. Harris rushed for over 100 yards in three consecutive games, the first of which came in Justin Fields' last start against the Las Vegas Raiders. In the last three weeks, however, Harris hasn't rushed for over 65 yards, causing plenty of concern in the Steel City about the team's starting running back. 

Harris is on pace for yet another 1,000-yard rushing season, and would be the first Steeler do so in each of his first four seasons. With 749 yards totaled in 2024, Harris is averaging 68.1 yards per game this season, while his career average is 64.8 yards. 

In his last three games, Harris has carried the ball 55 times for 157 yards, while adding six receptions for 43 yards. Averaging over 18 carries per game in that span, Harris' workload has continued to increase, but may start becoming a problem for the former first-round running back. Brian Batko, a Steelers reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, pointed out the high-volume workload for Harris and explains why it's becoming problematic. 

"Najee Harris is maybe losing a bit of juice because of how many touches he's garnered to this point. He was running really well, really hard. Less was more for him earlier in the season when he was ripping off one hundred yard games." 

Based on the way Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith like to formulate their offense, Harris is heavily relied upon on early downs. Harris' workload has also taken an increase due to the injuries of Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson throughout the season. Harris is the only running back on the roster that's been consistently healthy, and it's been that way throughout his career. Harris has never missed a game as a Steeler through 62 regular season and two postseason games. 

In his rookie season, Harris averaged 18 carries per game. In 2022, that number dropped 16, and then to 15 last season. This year, his carries per game stat is back up to just over 17. So while the workload for Harris has seemed excessive lately, he's always been a high-volume running back. Perhaps a slight decrease in snaps for Harris would benefit him exponentially. 

Steelers' Najee Harris Wildly Predicted To Sign With AFC Foe After 2024

Earlier in the week, Batko presented another thought about Harris and his future. With Pittsburgh not picking up Harris' fifth-year option prior to the season, many don't expect a return from Harris after the 2024 campaign. Batko believes Harris wants a fresh start in 2025, and says he could end up in Las Vegas to become a Raider. 

What Pittsburgh will do at the running back position after the season is a huge question mark. It's hard to imagine a team like the Steelers would let go of Harris, who would potentially have had four 1,000-yard seasons to start off his career. 

Warren has always been an exciting option behind him, but his recent injuries have kept him off of the field and unable to make a push at the starting job. It also seems unlikely that the team would spend an early draft pick on the position, considering the other holes on the roster. 

For now, the Steelers need to focus on getting Harris back on the right track. The offense's performance as a whole relies on success with running the ball and that is currently led by Harris. With the first place lead in the AFC North, the offense will need to step up to keep that standing. 

What do you think about the workload Harris is being given? Should the team be keeping him more fresh in an effort to create more big plays? Let us know in the comments below!

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