The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of questions to answer in this upcoming season, but the talent is there on both sides of the ball. The defense is most likely going to be the strength of this team, but the offense is quietly loaded with more than capable talent!
Running back, Najee Harris is one of those very playmakers and the Steelers look to lean on him in 2022 to help ease the transition to a new quarterback under center. The second-year running back is already finding himself in a leadership role for this young offense.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Najee Harris carries the football. | GETTY IMAGES
In a recent article published by ESPN, writer Bill Barnwell ranked the NFL's offensive playmakers. He prefaced the article with bulleted points in which he took into account while ranking these playmakers:
- We're only thinking about performance in 2022
- Injury history, holdouts and suspensions matter
- Wide receivers are more heavily weighted than running backs or tight ends
- I'm not mentioning every single player
- Efficiency matters
Barnwell ranked the Steelers offensive playmakers 12th best in the NFL. It should be noted that the team's offensive playmakers' ranking improved from last off-season, moving from 15th to 12th this off-season. Barnwell mentions Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) aided him in ranking the NFL's offensive weapons, which is a statistic that measures defense's adjusting to account for the quality of offensive opponents.
"The Steelers ran plenty of plays in 2021, but they weren't efficient, which made their raw numbers look more impressive than they might actually have been in reality," Barnwell noted in his article. "Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson ranked 63rd and 65th, respectively, in receiving DVOA. Pat Freiermuth was 20th among tight ends. Najee Harris ranked 40th in receiving DVOA among running backs. Nobody could escape the vortex of Ben Roethlisberger."
"With Roethlisberger limited to short throws and lobs down either sideline, it might be tempting to assume Harris was facing flooded boxes. That wasn't really the case. NFL Next Gen Stats data notes that Harris faced loaded boxes just 16.6% of the time, which was the second-lowest rate in football among backs with at least 100 carries. After accounting for defenders, he was 48 yards short of what an average back would have done with the same opportunities. The hope has to be that a more vertical passing attack frees up opportunities, but he shoulders some of the responsibility, too."
Harris totaled 1,200 yards in his rookie season a year ago behind a very sub-par offensive line. His efficiency is lower due to that, not due to his play. Harris shouldered a heavy load last season and if the Steelers offense is going to see success in 2022, they will have to run through him, first and foremost. You should see Harris become more efficient in year two behind free agent additions on the offensive line, Mason Cole and James Daniels.
Pittsburgh Steelers center, Mason Cole (left), and guard James Daniels (right), participate in phase two of the voluntary off-season workout program, Tuesday, May 17, 2022 at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. | Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
When an offensive line has the kind of year that the men upfront for the Black and Gold had a season ago, fans are usually calling for a replacement for everyone, but that's not always the answer. Did the team do enough to improve that abysmal offensive line by adding two veteran guys? We'll have to wait to see, but it should be easy to improve on being ranked near the bottom of the league with 93.1 rushing yards per game.
"Freiermuth's impressive rookie season gives the Steelers a de facto replacement for the departed JuJu Smith-Schuster in their passing attack," Barnwell continued discussing the team's playmakers. "With Johnson's future as a 2023 free agent uncertain, I wouldn't be surprised if Freiermuth and Claypool assumed a larger share of the receiving workload. Claypool, who went missing from the offense for stretches amid a frustrating season, is the player the Steelers -- and their new quarterback, whomever he is -- need to unlock in 2022."
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, Chase Claypool (#11) participates in Organized Team Activities (OTA's) Wednesday June 1, 2022 at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. (Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers)
There's a lot of untapped potential on the offensive side of the ball. We know the team's running game will be in good hands with Harris in the upcoming season, but if the Black and Gold's passing attack can improve from a season ago, the offense has the chance to be explosive!
What do yinz think about the Steelers' offensive weapons being ranked 12th best in the league? Let us know in the comment section below, or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
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