The Dallas Cowboys have become a sort of haven for former Pittsburgh Steelers.
In the past 18 months, the Cowboys have traded for three quite notable Steelers players — George Pickens, Joey Porter Jr. and Broderick Jones. If Dallas wants another, one is available to them for nothing on the free agent market in running back Najee Harris.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Morton appears to be in favor of such an addition for Dallas. Morton called the Cowboys one of the best fits for Harris in his post-NFL trade deadline best bargain free agents list.
“Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones expects backup running back Tyler Goodson to miss time with a knee injury,” wrote Morton. “The Cowboys signed Kendre Miller to their practice squad, but he has a history of injuries. Harris could be a solid complement to Javonte Williams in the Cowboys’ ground game.”
Harris has been a free agent since the New York Giants released him on October 20.
Najee Harris With the Pittsburgh Steelers
Harris once had just as big a profile as the other big-named former Steelers the Cowboys have acquired recently. That’s because, at least initially, he had more success.
While Pickens and Porter never made the Pro Bowl in Pittsburgh, Harris did as a rookie in 2021. Harris ran for 1,200 yards that season as he led the NFL with 381 touches and registered 1,667 yards from scrimmage.
With the Steelers, Harris was extremely dependable and durable. He never missed a game over four seasons and reached 1,000 rushing yards in all four campaigns.
By the end of his Steelers tenure, though, Harris didn’t necessarily have a lot of explosiveness. Over four years in Pittsburgh, he averaged 3.9 yards per carry. In the final three seasons, he also never eclipsed the 1,043-yard mark despite always reaching 1,000 yards.
Last year, Harris signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency. The tenure with his second team started poorly when the running back suffered a superficial eye injury during a July 4 fireworks accident.
Harris didn’t miss any regular season action because of the eye injury. But he then sustained an Achilles tendon tear in Week 3.
This season in New York, Harris appeared in five games, running for 99 yards while averaging 3.2 yards per rush. The Giants released him after he commented about how it was difficult to get into rhythm due to his lack of playing time.
Could Cowboys Take Flier on Harris?
Morton identified Dallas as a potential landing spot for Harris after the Cowboys were back in the running back market this week.
On Wednesday, the Cowboys officially signed Kendre Miller to their practice squad. The team inked Miller to a deal after losing Tyler Goodson to a knee injury. Dallas is also already without Malik Davis for the rest of the season because of a hip ailment.
Much to Harris’s chagrin (based on his comments in New York), he’s not a guy that NFL teams probably want to give a ton of opportunities to anymore. Given that fact, it’s worth wondering what kind of contributions he can make to an NFL offense going forward. Because again, his best asset when he was at his best was his durability and the volume of work he could take.
But as an experienced veteran, Harris could be a valuable contributor behind Javonte Williams in Dallas. The Cowboys could at least roll the dice on Harris with a very cheap deal.
If Dallas wants to dip back into the running back market again after the Miller signing, a Harris addition could be worth considering.
Cowboys Urged to Add Another Highly-Touted Ex-Steelers Player