Despite four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons as a starter, the Pittsburgh Steelers didn't believe running back Najee Harris was their long-term answer in the backfield. The franchise did not pick up his fifth-year option this offseason, ending his rookie contract and putting him on the free agency market.
The move was perceived as a surprising one, as the Steelers' offense utilized Harris multiple ways and found relative success statistically. However, he had been mentioned in trade talks for months leading up to this free agency.
It didn't take long for a team to sign the Alabama product, but now, it hasn't taken long for him to be back at the center of trade rumors, either.
Bleacher Report believes Harris, who signed an inexpensive one-year contract with minimal security, has an uncertain future with the Chargers beyond this season.
If he even plays for LA this season...
Harris was named on a shortlist of players who could get traded sometime before Week 1.
"[Harris] may not be viewed as a long-term piece for L.A," Kristopher Knox wrote.
"Teams in need of running back help would at least be wise to call about Harris' availability," the article continued. "While he was never a high-level starter with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was a dependable high-volume back who topped 1,000 rushing yards in all four campaigns."
Los Angeles picking North Carolina workhorse running back Omarion Hampton in the first round of the NFL Draft forces Harris into a competition for the starting job that he's never faced in his pro career. The No. 22 pick projects to add an equal amount of versatility at greater size compared to Harris, which puts Najee at a disadvantage in the matchup.
The Chargers also drafted Hampton just months after signing Harris, which many people think was a move to favor a starting running back with youth and upside on a cheap contract. The team may have looked at Harris' resume as the top-end of his potential and thought it's worth a shot to see if a rookie can be better.
Ironically enough, the Steelers feel like a nice fit for Harris, as the organization decided to build around youth, as well. Fourth-year ball-carrier Jaylen Warren is who many expected to be Harris' replacement, but rookie Kaleb Johnson has showed promise this spring and raised some eyebrows. In free agency, Pittsburgh added Kenneth Gainwell for some depth at the position.
That isn't the most comfortable spot for Pittsburgh as no running back is as proven as Harris over a consistent basis and workload. If the Steelers were to bring Najee back, they should be confident in what he could provide. Now that they would have to trade for him, though, we don't expect that to be on the agenda.
The Chargers may be preparing to make Hampton the starter, but that doesn't eliminate the possibility of keeping Harris around. Head coach Jim Harbaugh has been known to stack up running backs due to his reliance on the ground game in his offense.
It's a brutal reality for a player who has been as durable and productive as he's been called to be throughout his young career. While Harris still has traits that could make him a high-caliber starter one day, it will need to be in the perfect situation, and these rumors suggest Los Angeles just isn't the place right now.
Unfortunately, the Steelers' initial move to not bring him back is working against Najee's likelihood of being picked up as a starter for someone else, with many teams believing that something must be wrong.
Depending on how Pittsburgh's run game is behind veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, what's wrong may have been the Steelers' letting Harris go in the first place.