Najee Harris is one of those tough bolts to crack. Like Miley Cyrus. Is she actually talented? Najee did look amazing his rookie year, but since then he’s been just okay. Part of that has been the terrible team put around him and part of it has been injury issues, but that might all change this year. Najee Harris is finally in a situation to dominate once again!
In 2021, rookie Najee Harris out of Alabama took the league by storm after being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round. He gave Ben Rothlisberger a weapon out of the backfield that Ben sorely missed after LeVeon Bell left town. The team went 9-7-1 and made the playoffs before losing in the wild-card round to the Kansas City Chiefs. All in all a solid season!
Najee Harris rushed for 1,200 yards for 7 touchdowns along with catching 74 targets for 467 yards. He was elected to the Pro Bowl and seemed destined for superstardom. Since then, not so much. But a new offensive coordinator along with a new scheme could lead to Najee Harris becoming a beast once more.
Can Najee Harris Be Effective in 2024?
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The following year, 2022, the team stayed competitive after Rothlisberger retired, but Quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky and then rookie Kenny Pickett couldn’t get them back to the playoffs. Najee Harris, for his part, wasn’t as much help as the previous season. A majority of this was due to an injured foot that occurred right as training camp began. He had somehow developed a Lisfranc injury that caused him to miss time early in the year. As a result, it took Najee Harris longer to get back to his top conditioning form after being forced to miss 4 weeks.
In 2023, Najee Harris was fully healthy once again but the coaching staff started breaking in another viable starting running back, Jaylen Warren. This meant not as many rushing attempts for Najee and maybe kept him from reaching his full potential. But the team regrouped from the season before and made the playoffs, where they lost to the Buffalo Bills in the wildcard round.
Warren rushed for 784 yards and 4 touchdowns while Najee Harris rushed for 1,035 yards and 8 touchdowns. Jaylen may have taken away from Najee, but Harris was still the preferred goal-line back and starter. It was and still is his backfield.
Najee Harris Will Succeed in 2024
Despite his struggles, Najee Harris still has 3 straight years with over 1,000 yards rushing. He’s a battler who fights for every yard, even if it doesn’t always look pretty. Now, he gets a quarterback upgrade with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields replacing the scrubs from 2023. Wilson may not be the same quarterback he was back in Seattle, but both he and Fields are a major upgrade over the Mason Rudolphs of the world.
They may have lost Dionte Johnson this offseason but the team also has some major targets returning at wide receiver and tight end. George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth are Pro Bowl-caliber talents who should help take pressure away from the run game. If Wilson can hit those two along with rising talent Calvin Austin III, then Harris will have every opportunity to run amuck!
But most importantly, this year, new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will become best friends with Najee Harris. Smith is the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. And boy does he love the run game! His love for a strong rushing attack with start and end with Najee Harris and the upside there is immense.
Final Thoughts
So the big question is will Najee Harris be just good or will he be great in 2024? He’s got a great situation to succeed and has shown he can do it in the past. Najee Harris has only played 3 seasons in the league and number 4 should be his best one yet!
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