Steelers Sights & Sounds: Najee Harris Shows Off Speed, Power
Najee Harris showed off his speed and power with his slimmed-down physique at Steelers OTAs.
PITTSBURGH — Najee Harris has always been a big running back, but a lot of the conversation around the Pittsburgh Steelers star this offseason has been about his increased emphasis on explosiveness in his offseason workout regiment. Harris’ trainer, Josh Scott said that he has slimmed down this offseason, and it’s been showing on the practice field during Steelers OTAs at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
On Wednesday, Harris and the rest of the Steelers’ running backs went through a series of drills that highlighted both his power and explosiveness. Harris led the team through a ball security gauntlet, and also worked on his legendary stiff-arm in another drill. But he was also split out wide, catching passes from Russell Wilson, in what could be a bigger part of Harris’ game moving forward.
Harris has been a very consistent ball-carrier, rushing for 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons, but his use as a receiving threat has waned. After catching 74 passes for 467 yards in his rookie season, he caught 41 for 229 yards in 2022 and 29 for 170 yards in 2023. Part of that change has come alongside the emergence of Jaylen Warren as the team’s third-down back and 1B to Harris’ 1A in the starting lineup. But new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is not afraid to use his top back as a pass catcher. Bijan Robinson caught 58 passes for 487 yards with the Atlanta Falcons last season.
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