Najee Harris
Steelers Unlikely to Retain Najee Harris
2 weeks ago

With Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren set to become free agents this summer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac suggests the Steelers will part ways with Harris.

Although Harris and Warren have played their last down under their current contracts, Harris will become an unrestricted free agent, whereas Warren is a restricted free agent. Due to his status as an RFA, it’ll be easier, and potentially cheaper, for the Steelers to keep Warren instead of Harris. Dulac also implied that the team will look to replace Harris via the 2025 NFL Draft rather than free agency.

 

Harris burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2021, handling 381 touches for 1,667 yards from scrimmage and ten total touchdowns. He went to the Pro Bowl that season, but his production has been underwhelming since. There’s no denying the impact of a true workhorse running back who’s reliable and rarely injured, but the truth is Harris isn’t explosive or efficient enough for the Steelers to lean on him. He’s never had more than 4.4 yards per touch in a season, and the longest play of his career is a 37-yard run from his rookie season. In contrast, Warren has been considerably more efficient with his opportunities despite fetching half of Harris’s usage. Since Warren entered the league in 2022, he leads Harris in yards per carry (4.8 to 3.9) and yards per reception (7.0 to 6.4).

 

Warren has never started a game for the Steelers since Harris has been healthy for all 17 games in each of his four NFL seasons, and there’s a reason for that. Workloads are earned, not given, and some running backs are more well-equipped to handle a significant number of touches every week. With that in mind, even if the Steelers part ways with Harris, don’t expect Warren to have the backfield to himself. The 2025 NFL Draft class has been praised by media pundits for its depth at running back, so it’d make a lot of sense for Pittsburgh to invest in a younger, cheaper replacement for Harris.

 

Author: Trey Kroll (@TreyK_FB)