Najee Harris has been one of the consistent pass rushers for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the last 4 seasons but has entered free agency as his rookie deal ended. With the Steelers now having Jaylen Warren as the starting RB, Harris’ release isn’t much of a surprise after he failed to become the big-play threat some imagined he’d become,
How Good Is Najee Harris After Four Years in Pittsburgh?
Harris, a two-time national champion at Alabama Crimson Tide, was picked 24th overall by the Steelers in the 2021 draft and produced a stellar rookie season. He rushed for 1200 yards and seven touchdowns and made 74 receptions for 467 yards and three touchdowns.
While Harris has tallied over 1,000 rushing yards every year, he hasn’t been the most efficient. His best yards-per-carry average in a single season was 2023 at 4.1; overall, he averages 3.9 YPC for his career.
Still, Harris is younger and has shown pass-catching capabilities. Over his four-year career, he’s scored 28 rushing touchdowns and six in the passing game.
Harris has yet to miss a game in his NFL career, and he’s proven a highly capable pass catcher while generating a 180-1,149-6 receiving line in his first four seasons. However, after scoring three receiving touchdowns apiece in each of his first two NFL campaigns, he hasn’t found the end zone as a receiver since.
Harris is projected to land a three-year, roughly $27 million deal by Spotrac.
4 Potential Landing Spots for Harris
Dallas Cowboys
While the Cowboys are not known for spending much in free agency, they could be tempted to replace Rico Dowdle with Harris in free agency. Both are part of the same draft class, but Harris has proven he is a more reliable starting running back option in free agency.
The Cowboys’ offense needs an infusion of running game, and Harris could be the missing piece alongside Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Jalen Tolbert.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders might still regret letting Josh Jacobs walk in 2024. That year, they cycled through four different starting RBs, none reaching 400 yards. Harris could provide much-needed consistency for the Raiders, who have $44,529,456 in cap space after a pre-free agency shopping spree saw them bring in Geno Smith and extend Maxx Crosby.
Bringing in Harris, along with a rookie receiver and running back from the 2025 NFL Draft, could be the final push for the Raiders to become a playoff team in 2025.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns are yet again concerned about Nick Chubb’s injury history and could target their AFC North rival, Harris, to restore stability to their once-great backfield.
Jerome Ford was the Browns’ lead rusher last season, but he is entering the last year of his rookie contract, and Cleveland is in the market for at least two RBs. However, they only have $12.6 million in cap space and might think before spending $9.2 million on Harris. Of course, they would bring the other quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since Phillip Lindsay in 2019. More shocking is that they haven’t had a 100-yard rushing game from an individual running back in the last two seasons, too. However, the Broncos have over $40 million in cap space and might rope in Harris in the early days of the free agency.
Harris would be an immediate upgrade to the current Broncos’ stable, which Javonte Williams led with 513 rushing yards. Denver needs to make this signing and perhaps another RB from the draft to relieve the pressure off their rookie quarterback, Bo Nix.