Internally, the Pittsburgh Steelers had hope that they would be able to return to the playoffs this season for the first time since future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retired. Their defense was cited as a big reason for that hope, as were young players such as running back Najee Harris and wide receiver George Pickens.
But with about a quarter of the schedule in the books, Pittsburgh is just 2-2, and its two wins have come by a combined nine points against the shorthanded Cleveland Browns and the struggling Las Vegas Raiders. It ranks near the bottom of the league in several key categories, and Harris has thus far not built upon the promise he showed in his first two seasons.
In 2021, his rookie year, he ran for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns, and last season, he put up 1,034 yards and another seven touchdowns on the ground. But through four games in 2023, he has just 210 rushing yards and hasn’t scored a touchdown yet.
A former NFL executive has told NFL Analysis Network that the Steelers may be willing to move Harris at this point.
“Unfortunately, Najee (Harris) simply has not worked out for the Steelers,” the executive said. “At this point in time, they have been willing to listen to trade offers for him.”
Perhaps in a different situation, on a winning team with a star quarterback and a much better offensive line, Najee Harris could blossom a bit. After all, he did make the Pro Bowl as a rookie, and he was a big star at the University of Alabama, posting 1,466 yards and 26 touchdowns on the ground in his senior season there.
Rebuilding is a long and frustrating process in the NFL, and longtime members of Steelers Nation will remember all the dark years that transpired between Terry Bradshaw‘s retirement in 1984 and Roethlisberger’s rookie year in 2004. The franchise needs to make some difficult but prudent decisions on which prospects they will keep and which ones are actually suspects.
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