Last season, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris had 1,667 yards from scrimmage on 381 touches. A ridiculously high number but especially shocking when you consider Harris was just a rookie.
But this season, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin seems to have softened his stance on having a single workhorse back and is slowly easing rookie Jaylen Warren into a larger role in the backfield. A move Harris views as a positive for him and his longevity in the league.
“Sitting down and having an actual talk about me and my longevity, they want me here,” Harris said. “If I want to keep playing, if I want to be healthy. If I want, when I retire, not to walk out on one leg. I’m glad as hell I have Jaylen right now.”
Last week against the New Orleans Saints, Harris and Warren split time in the backfield fairly equally. Harris was on the field for 50 reps, which worked out to 60 percent and Harris played 36 reps which worked out to 43 percent. It was great to see both guys on the field together but more importantly, offensive coordinator Matt Canada seems to finally be getting things sorted on how to run the football with this group.
