Najee Harris Won’t Play Steelers’ Preseason Finale; Benny Snell to Start

PITTSBURGH — The Steelers are going to do the complete opposite of what they did against Detroit.

Head coach Mike Tomlin spoke with the media Wednesday and made it known that the Steelers will be going bare-bones on Friday when they travel to Carolina to face the Panthers. Among the obvious of who will not play is Ben Roethlisberger, but first-round pick Najee Harris will also sit on Friday.

Tomlin came into training camp saying that Harris would play all four preseason games, but that has changed. He declined to get into the specifics of who else would sit, but it would appear to be just about all the starters except for the offensive line. Tomlin wants to see those guys gel and get better as the weeks continue and views this as another opportunity.

However, the big return for the Steelers will be Benny Snell Jr. The Kentucky product has not played at all in the preseason after suffering an undisclosed injury. With the opportunity to prove he belongs, Snell will split with Anthony McFarland Jr., Kalen Ballage, and others to decide the pecking order behind Harris in the running back room.

Tre Norwood will get slot snaps after the release of Antoine Brooks and Arthur Maulet is still banged up. It makes the first time that Norwood will get slot snaps. While it remains to be seen how much Cam Sutton will play, Norwood certainly has the opportunity to prove himself and carve out a role on the defense beyond top reserve safety.