The Pittsburgh Steelers have received strong play from their running backs this preseason but not from starter Najee Harris. In the first two preseason games this year, Harris has posted 5 yards on 3 touches.
But in Harris’ defense, he has barely seen the field. He only played 4 snaps in Week 1 of the preseason against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Harris lined up for 5 snaps versus the Buffalo Bills on August 19.
After the game against the Bills, Harris revealed to the media that his lack of playing time this month has been by design.
“We came in with a plan,” Harris said, via The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly. “I talked to Coach T at the start of camp. I am following Coach T.
“Whatever he says, goes.”
Najee Harris said he and Mike Tomlin had a chat at start of camp about his (lack) of usage in the preseason.
“We came in with a plan. I talked to Coach T at the start of camp. I am following Coach T. Whatever he says, goes.”
Harris said he wants to play but “there’s a plan:
While Harris has sat most of the preseason, backups Jaylen Warren and Anthony McFarland have shined. Warren rushed for a 62-yard touchdown against the Bills. The prior week, McFarland had a 14-yard touchdown.
Najee Harris Explains His Lack of Playing Time This Preseason
The 25-year-old running back is used to being a workhorse.
In each of his first two NFL seasons, he had at least 310 touches. As a rookie, Harris led the NFL with 381 touches.
He had the same type of role at Alabama in college. Harris averaged at least 18 touches per contest as a junior and senior for the Crimson Tide.
But clearly, that’s not the case for Harris this preseason. He’s played just 9 snaps in two games.
While Harris didn’t reveal coach Mike Tomlin’s full plan, in all likelihood, the Steelers are again planning to feature Harris a lot in the regular season. With that in mind, it’s unnecessary to tax his body with a lot of playing time in the preseason.
Steelers Getting Longer Look at Other Running Backs
There could be another motivation to Harris not playing a lot this preseason.
The Steelers obviously know what they have in their starting running back, but the team is far less certain about its running back depth. With Harris sitting most of the preseason, there has been more opportunities for depth running backs such as McFarland, Greg Bell, Xazavian Valladay and Darius Hagans to play.
McFarland has taken advantage of that playing time. Although he struggled against the Bills, he appeared to emerge as the likely candidate to secure the No. 3 running back job after his touchdown against the Buccaneers.
Valladay had just 4 rushing yards, but he also posted a 22-yard reception versus Buffalo. Bell led the team with 7 carries and recorded 17 rushing yards in Week 2 of the preseason.
Jaylen Warren Pushing Harris for No. 1 RB Spot?
While the desire to keep Harris fresh for the regular season is a clear indication that he is the team’s top back, that won’t stop some of speculating whether Warren could supplant Harris as the Steelers’ go-to back.
A reporter asked Warren on August 19 whether he could be the lead back for a team in the NFL.
“Can I carry it 25 times in a game? I mean, I’ve never done that in an NFL game,” Warren said, via Steelers Now’s Nick Farabaugh. “But I’ve done that in college. I don’t know, I can’t say for sure because I haven’t done it here. But I have confidence that I can do that.”
Warren only had 77 carries as a rookie last season, but he averaged 4.9 yards per carry. Harris averaged 3.8 yards per rush last year.
If Warren keeps exploding for long runs as he did against the Bills, he is going to receive more playing time. But that doesn’t mean Harris won’t be a major part of Pittsburgh’s offensive plan in 2023.
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Steelers RB Najee Harris Breaks Silence on His Lack of Preseason Snaps