The Pittsburgh Steelers made the somewhat controversial decision this offseason to move on from former first-round pick Najee Harris. Once viewed as the solution to a declining Pittsburgh rushing attack, Harris left after a mediocre four years with the team.
While he was productive at the surface level, when you dig a little deeper, you see a flawed player who struggled to consistently produce quality runs. That said, he certainly had a strong fan base who was sad to see him go.
However, after just two weeks of training camp has proven that the Steelers were likely right in their decision to let Harris walk. It may be one of the best moves of the team’s offseason.
The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t need Najee Harris anymore
After declining his fifth-year option and another ho-hum season, the Steelers let Harris enter free agency without a lot of effort to re-sign him. While fans gawked over him consistently rushing for over 1,000 yards, the team saw how inefficient he was as a first-round running back.
Harris went back to his home state and signed with the Chargers. The deal looked significant at first, totaling out at over $9 million, but almost half of that is tied to incentives. That said, it looked like he would be a notable factor in their offense.
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That all shifted after they drafted Omarion Hampton in the first round. While Harris would still be a factor in the running game, it seemed like he would be in a rotation with Hampton at best, and possibly even the second option behind the talented rookie.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Harris had an eye injury from a Fourth of July firework mishap. He hasn’t practiced yet, and just now has started doing some individual work at Chargers camp.
The Steelers, meanwhile, have steered into the committee approach at running back. They plan on turning the reins over to Jaylen Warren while mixing in rookie Kaleb Johnson and free agent addition Kenneth Gainwell.
Warren is a versatile runner with sneaky burst and great hands. I’m confident in him as a starter. Johnson has looked the part as a bigger runner, and while his blocking has to get better, he should be a great complement. Gainwell can be a versatile chess piece for the offense in a minor role.
None of that would have happened if Harris were still here. Top to bottom, I think the Steelers' running back room is far better now than it was a year ago. All Harris is doing is confirming that thought.