Steelers Departure Catches Major Stray During Offseason Breakdown

The Pittsburgh Steelers have shaken up their roster a lot over the past few months, and one of those deviations from the status quo was the decision to let veteran running back Najee Harris walk in free agency.

The Steelers’ thought process was pretty sound here. With there being a consensus around the NFL community that the 2025 draft class flaunted a deep and talented running back pool, Pittsburgh elected to get younger at the position, while also simultaneously saving some money and cap space.

In the end, they selected Iowa ball carrier Kaleb Johnson to be the eventual successor to Harris. With holdover Jaylen Warren expected to begin the 2025 campaign as the Steelers’ more immediate RB1.

To some, this could be seen as a downgrade, going from an experienced four-time 1,000-yard rusher to a rookie, but CBS Sports writer Douglas Clawson saw the swap differently while breaking down the Steelers’ offseason on July 3. And Harris caught a bit of a stray as Clawson tackled the running back position.

“Najee Harris’ departure is a case of addition by subtraction, even after four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons to begin his career,” Clawson began, implying that just about anyone would be better.

“[Harris] ranked third-worst in the NFL in explosive run rate (5.7% of rushes went for 12+ yards) among players with 200+ carries last season,” the writer explained. Arguing that Warren and Johnson “can both add the explosive plays the Steelers offense desperately needs.”

“Johnson had an explosive run on 15.0% of his rushes last season, fifth-highest in the FBS (among 33 players with 200+ rushes),” Clawson added, concluding that the Johnson for Harris swap should be an “improvement” overall.

Najee Harris’ Unfortunate Offseason Continues

The offseason started out okay for Harris. After it quickly became clear that Pittsburgh was going in another direction, the veteran pivoted and took a one-year contract with the RB-needy Los Angeles Chargers.

On paper, this was a fantastic fit for Harris, who settled on a “prove it” type salary of $5.25 million guaranteed.

The NFL draft changed all that optimism, however, as the Chargers decided to use their first-round pick on top-tier running back prospect Omarion Hampton. And although it’s not surprising that LAC drafted another RB to pair with Harris, it is no doubt disappointing for the ex-Steeler that the Chargers targeted the position in round one.

Odds are Hampton overtakes Harris on the depth chart pretty quickly in 2025, even if Los Angeles plans to utilize the impending free agent more early in the year.

Since the Hampton selection, Harris has already been labeled a trade candidate. While there’s no real truth to that bit of speculation at this time, it shows that few expect him to beat out the talented rookie out of North Carolina.

Clawson’s comment is just the cherry on top of what has turned into an unfortunate offseason for Harris.

Steelers Made the Right Decision Getting Younger at Running Back

As noted above, the Steelers made a lot of big decisions in 2025. Some will eventually be judged as smart ones, while others will no doubt crash and burn.

But the decision to let Harris walk while also targeting a new running back in the draft should be a winner at the end of the day.

Between Alabama and Pittsburgh, Harris has carried the football over 1,760 times at age 27. RBs get old quickly in the modern-day NFL, and Harris’ analytics already suggest that his best days might be behind him.

Landing Johnson just made the move that much better.

A 1,500-plus-yard rusher in 2024, Johnson is certainly capable of leading a backfield. He’s also a strong fit for offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense, and the added explosiveness that Clawson pointed out could make for an immediate impact.