The Pittsburgh Steelers were advised to accept a trade that would send one of their offensive weapons to a contender in exchange for a Day 2 draft pick. The Steelers might look like deadline sellers, as the team sits at 3-2 ahead of Week 7.
However, one asset not being utilized in the Steelers’ offense is running back Najee Harris. Harris ran for over 1,000 yards in each of the Steelers’ previous two seasons. But Harris can’t do much behind a porous run-blocking offensive line this season.
Harris has 247 rushing yards so far this season, and he’s averaging just 3.9 yards per rush. He has no rushing touchdowns this season.
Whether it’s the fault of offensive coordinator Matt Canada or the offensive line, Harris won’t be the same weapon for the rest of the season he was in 2021 and 2022. The Steelers could trade Harris for the capital to help fix the offensive line in next year’s draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are urged to trade a running back
Cody Woodroof with USA Today suggested the Steelers place Harris on the market. Woodroof thinks the Steelers could net a second-round pick for Harris:
“This might seem a little surprising, but the Steelers might want to transition running back Jaylen Warren into that starting spot and consider sending Harris to a team that could better utilize his talents.”
“Harris hasn’t quite been the thousand-yard rusher we’ve gotten used to this season, and it’d be very easy to see a Super Bowl-caliber team calling up the Steelers and seeing if Harris is available. Pittsburgh could probably get a second-round pick in return, and some team would get a proven running back in Harris to help a postseason run.”
That would help the Steelers out in the long term. They wouldn’t be on the hook for Harris when his contract needs to be extended.
The Steelers can rely on Jaylen Warren to lead the Steelers backfield for the rest of this season. He’s playing about as well as Harris, averaging 3.6 yards per rush.
