There is an excessive exaggeration of the Najee Harris case. Like any circumstance with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Making the choice to decline Harris’ fifth-year option wasn’t a wise or poor one. That was a meh choice made by a meh player.
This next season, Harris will remain a member of the Steelers. He won’t back down or whine because he’s playing for his next contract, whether it’s in Pittsburgh or somewhere else. (Probably not.)
If Harris quits the team after the season and they have difficulty finding a replacement, the Steelers will have failed.
In a way, the Steelers’ selection of Harris, 24th overall in the first round of 2021, was a failure. Similar to how Kenny Pickett was the first quarterback chosen in 2022, he was the first running back chosen. At such spots, those drafts lacked strength,
The Steelers somewhat failed when they selected Harris 24th overall in the first round of 2021. Similar to how Kenny Pickett was the first quarterback chosen in 2022, he was the first running back chosen. The Steelers demonstrated how ineffective those selection choices were at those spots.
Since T.J. Watt in 2017, the Steelers have not had a first-round pick selected appropriately. (Celebrating Broderick Jones, the first-round pick from the previous year, is premature.)
The Steelers have fallen short in that regard. Not by declining Harris’ option to play for a fifth year. He’s not very big.
The fifth-year option for Harris would have cost $6.7 million, so the Steelers would have to agree. Not quite quarterback pay.
It’s said that finding good running backs is not difficult. However, the Steelers haven’t always demonstrated that: Jaylen Samuels, Benny Snell, and others
Should the Steelers fail to get a No. 2 wideout, that will be a major setback. They don’t even have anything like one.
That is the major narrative, in part because it illustrates the Steelers’ fervent devotion to running and their inability to realize that in a postseason game in 2024, that approach won’t be enough to defeat a skilled quarterback.
The offensive line was suitably addressed by the Steelers during the draft.
At cornerback, they remain vulnerable. But throughout their defense, they have a wealth of playmakers.
After selecting a receiver in the second round, should they have tried to use Nate Herbig at center to get by? That might out to be a worthwhile inquiry.
The solution is not Tyler Boyd. The solution is not Zay Jones.
