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.
Written by Trey Kroll (@TreyK_FB on Twitter/X)
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris has been a ...
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (ankle) did ...
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (ankle) is ...
Pittsburgh Steelers RB Jaylen Warren is set to miss multiple weeks
On Saturday Pittsburgh Steelers’ RB Jaylen Warren suffered an injured hamstring during the game. He left the game and would not return. After doing test the Steelers believe Warren will miss multiple weeks with this injury. Warren was expected to split touches with RB Najee Harris in an offense now coached by Arthur Smith. Smith is a has a run first offense of scheme.
With reports of Warren’s hamstring being a grade 2 it puts his week 1 availability in jeopardy. If he should not be ready for week 1 against Atlanta Falcons expect a heavy workload for Harris and potentially a top 12 RB on the week.
Currently Warren is going in the 8th round of fantasy draft this could slide him down a couple of rounds especially if he is not ready for week 1. If he is ready to go week 1, he could be on a limited snaps count. For the outlook for the season for Warren he has upside of being a Top 15 RB on the season, that’s also if the hamstring doesn’t linger too much.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have decided not to pick up Najee Harris’ fifth-year option. Allowing the former Alabama running back to become a free agent in 2025.
For some, it may come as a shock to see Najee Harris as someone who may not be part of the future in Pittsburgh. He has rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his first three years while carrying the ball over at least 250 times a season. With the emergence of Jaylen Warren in 2024 and his explosiveness (5.26 yds per carry), Najee’s lack thereof (4.06 yds per carry) gives reason for the Steelers to look at other options going forward. I do expect Najee Harris to have suitors in 2025 and could still resign with the Steelers as well depending on 2024 play.
The outlook for Najee Harris in the fantasy world has now become a bit clouded, especially in a dynasty aspect. Where Jaylen Warren’s value has risen going forward. Najee should still have low RB2 value in redraft and Warren as a great handcuff in 2024. Could the new quarterback play for the Steelers help or hinder Najee in 2024, that will yet to be seen.
