Will the Steelers signal Najee Harris to an extension earlier than the common season begins?
With the Pittsburgh Steelers signing Cameron Heyward to a three-year contract, many are questioning what offers come subsequent. Most assume that Pat Freiermuth is a digital assure, however what about Najee Harris? We now have been listening to blended messages on that one—generally even from the identical reporter—so it’s arduous to gauge.
We all know the Steelers need to run the soccer—and we all know Najee Harris runs the soccer. However we additionally know they’ve two working backs they need to share the load. Jaylen Warren will likely be a restricted free agent subsequent yr, however he gained’t be low-cost, comparatively talking.
If the Steelers gave Warren a second-round tender and prolonged Harris, we may very well be speaking a couple of $10 million working again room in a single day. Now, cut up between two backs who complement one another nicely, that’s actually not a problem. However many query if Harris is price a big extension.
What folks need, after all, doesn’t matter—it’s what the Steelers need. Reporters like Gerry Dulac proceed to say that the Steelers haven’t any plans to increase Najee Harris earlier than the season. Others have been extra receptive to that risk, so, as traditional, we will discover corroborating proof for something we need to consider, which leaves us precisely nowhere helpful.
Dulac was the primary to report this way back, claiming the Steelers need to see what Harris seems like within the new offense first. Presumably, they need to see him within the common season, not simply within the preseason, so meaning the analysis course of continues.
The Steelers are nonetheless working to get their offensive line collectively, a course of sophisticated by accidents. Isaac Seumalo is at the moment unavailable, although maybe not for lengthy. Troy Fautanu is working his means again from a knee harm, but in addition working his means into the lineup. And we nonetheless don’t know what that may finally seem like by way of the left sort out place. So does that imply Najee Harris will merely have to attend? They’ll nonetheless signal him after the season, earlier than he hits free company, however it might be too late for now.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is approaching, following one other disappointing yr that culminated in a first-round playoff loss. The one change-up within the annual components recently is whether or not they exit early or miss the playoffs altogether. They’ve had a protracted offseason for the reason that Buffalo Payments stamped them out of their distress again in January.
The most important query hanging over the staff is the quarterback query. Does Russell Wilson make them a Tremendous Bowl-caliber staff, or are they losing a yr? How will the staff proceed to deal with the depth chart?
The common season is right here, following weeks of camp and preseason video games. The Steelers made quite a few strikes by way of signings and commerce—and launch. Greater than traditional, they appeared comfy creating holes, assured they will fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not a lot. Now that we have now so many items of the puzzle, nevertheless, we merely have a brand new set of inquiries to ask.
