With the Super Bowl wrapped up, a bow can finally be tied on the 2024 NFL season. It was something of a rollercoaster ride, especially for Steelers fans. That ride ended poorly for Pittsburgh, with a lot of struggles specifically on the offensive side of the ball. While Pittsburgh was able to control games early in the season with its rushing attack, mostly led by Najee Harris, that didn't carry over into the later stages of the regular season, or the Steelers' brutal playoff loss.
On Tuesday, former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew gave a complete review of the running back position in 2024, ranking 74 players based on how their season went. While he didn't give a terrible review of the Steelers' backs, it wasn't ideal. Jones-Drew listed Harris as the 18th-best starting running back in 2024.
"When you really look at the stat sheet, Najee Harris' 2024 campaign really wasn't all that eye-opening," Jones-Drew wrote on NFL.com. "That said, he eclipsed 1,000 yards for the fourth straight season, so he generally made the most of his time in Pittsburgh. He hits free agency in March, and there's a real possibility we haven't seen him reach his full potential."
Jones-Drew's analysis of Harris is a good representation of the general discussion around the upcoming free agent. Jones-Drew acknowledges that Harris didn't have the best season, at least statistically. Harris scored six times, running for exactly four yards per carry. He made himself a weapon as a receiver, catching 36 passes for 283 yards. All of these numbers are solid, to give Harris his credit. Yet, he hasn't done enough to set himself apart at the position, part of the reason Jones-Drew ranked him 18th.
So, with Harris a pending free agent, the Steelers find themselves in a pickle. They could let Harris walk, but as Jones-Drew writes, he has picked up 1,000 rushing yards in each of his four years in Pittsburgh. That's a lot of production going out the door. Still, with the amount of talent at running back in the upcoming draft, that looks like the most likely scenario.
Najee Harris wasn't the only Steelers running back included. Cordarrelle Patterson found himself on the list, albeit much further down. Patterson is 70th out of the 74 total backs. Jones-Drew didn't include any analysis regarding him.
You might be wondering why Jaylen Warren wasn't included, given the fact that 74 players were. Jones-Drew wrote that in order for a player to meet the qualifications, they must start at least one game in 2024, while having at least 20 carries during the year. Warren had 120 attempts, far higher than that number, but didn't start a single game, so he wasn't included.
These aren't necessarily bad reviews, but it doesn't represent the way the Steelers want to play football. Pittsburgh wants a strong run game, one in which it can control the tempo of the game with on its way to wins. The Steelers got away from that during their five-game slide to end the year, and it cost them. Having their starting running back considered to be in the bottom-half of the league at his position certainly doesn't represent the strong rushing attack Pittsburgh desires.
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