Steelers news: Najee Harris injury update is encouraging
By Tommy Jaggi
The Pittsburgh Steelers received some good news this morning regarding running back Najee Harris. Here’s when we can expect to see him.
In a game that many predicted would be a struggle to get things going on the ground, the Pittsburgh Steelers were able to chew up rushing yards aginst the Colts on Monday Night Football. They did this through a committee approach. As Jaylen Warren was sidelined with a hamstring injury, Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland helped pick up the slack.
Expectedly, starting running back Najee Harris led the pack in carries in the first half. However, his night was cut short as he suffered an abdominal injury halfway through the game. He would finish the game with just 35 yards on 10 carries, per ESPN stats.
It was initially feared that the abdominal injury suffered by the second-year running back could force him out of action. Some feared this may have been a hernia — which would have required surgery and shut down his 2022 season. However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday morning that Harris avoided a major injury:
#Steelers RB Najee Harris, who was ruled out of Monday night's game with an abdominal injury, did not suffer a major injury, sources say. His status this week is up in the air, and he'll be reevaluated as the practice week goes on. But no significant injury is good news.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 30, 2022
Najee’s status in practice still needs to be monitored this week, but this is good news for a Steelers team that has finally figured things out on the ground. While Harris hasn’t even been the most efficient runner on the team this year, the big running back was gaining some steam prior to his injury.
Steelers could use a committee moving forward
Even if Najee Harris returns to full health by this Sunday, I would expect the Pittsburgh Steelers to deploy a committee approach at the running back position moving forward. Najee dealt with a foot sprain during training camp and now the abdominal injury should have Mike Tomlin thinking twice about running him into the ground.
Meanwhile, the collection of Jaylen Warren, Benny Snell, and Anthony McFarland has been surprisingly effective, and this group should be able to help ease the burden from Harris moving forward.
Trending. Kenny Pickett earns remarkable grade vs Colts despite mixed reviews. light
Pittsburgh has averaged 163 rushing yards per game since their Week 9 bye, and there is plenty of reason to believe that this success on the ground will continue. The good news is that Najee Harris should be available to help in this regard moving forward.