3 Steelers players who will benefit most from rebuilt offensive line

Steelers workhorse Najee Harris

Najee Harris managed to be extremely productive despite a lackluster unit blocking for him in 2021. Much of that production came more from volume than efficiency, however, leading the league in total touches with 381.

That isn’t sustainable even for a player like Harris, but he is still likely looking at 300+ touches for the foreseeable future. He is just too good on all three downs to come off the field much even if the Steelers do add to the position this offseason.

If Harris is going to have such a huge workload, the Steelers needed to make sure they don’t waste his prime years by not aggressively upgrading the offensive line. There are too many clips from last year of him running into a brick wall and having nowhere to go.

The additions of James Daniels and Mason Cole give the Steelers tons of versatility and will allow them to create the best starting five possible. Both Daniels and Cole would come in as the two best run blockers on the team, and Daniels especially will help with getting to the second level and clearing out linebackers.

Overall, Harris should be very happy with how the Steelers addressed their offensive line concerns so far. At the very least they should be an average run-blocking unit, which is all he should need to boost his efficiency in 2022. He was already a pro bowl player as a rookie, but he could be an All-Pro candidate with a better offense next season.