Steelers Get Huge Boost with Najee Harris News

Steelers running back Najee Harris is expected to play against the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. Pelissero states that this injury Harris’ knee is not new and is something that he is managing. Pittsburgh wanted to rest him and he likely would have practiced on Thursday during a typical week, but instead, he missed the short week and will play against the Patriots.

“I am told Najee Harris, barring a setback, is expected to play,” Pelissero said. “This is not a new injury for him, he’s been managing the knee throughout the season. Just didn’t feel great coming out of the game, so they wanted to rest him. In a normal week, he would practice today, instead, he will play in this game against the Patriots.”

Harris was wearing a compression sleeve on his right leg when he spoke with the media after practice on Tuesday. He didn’t mention the injury, nor was it brought up, and he did not appear to be in any discomfort. It’s reasonable to suspect that Harris might deal with a reduced workload, though, even if he does play. The Steelers have had a near 50-50 time share between Harris and Jaylen Warren this season.

Harris has played in 408 snaps and has 159 carries and 180 total touches. Warren has played in 342 snaps and has 102 carries and 140 total touches.

But Warren has actually been the more productive back on a rate basis. He has averaged 5.9 yards per rushing attempt, which leads the entire NFL among qualified rushers. Harris has averaged 4.2 yards per rush, a career-best mark.

Warren has also been more productive as a receiver. He has 38 catches on 48 targets for 243 yards — 5.1 yards per target. Harris has averaged 4.3 yards per target in the passing game. With Harris now hampered by a knee injury, Pittsburgh might want to manage it heading into next week by limiting the amount of touches and snaps he gets on Thursday, but it seems like they will have him out there.