Najee Harris
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Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris.
The Baltimore Ravens were the central storyline of this NFL free agency period — not just for the busted trade for NFL All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby and the subsequent signing of All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
That wasn’t the only reason the Ravens grabbed headlines. They also saw more talent walk out the door than arguably any team in the NFL via free agency.
That exodus included other teams raiding their backfield. Talented backup running back Keaton Mitchell signed with the Los Angeles Chargers, and 6-time Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard joined former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh on the New York Giants.
The Ravens are still contenders, which means it would be silly to gamble too much on drafting a capable backup for Mitchell – also the reason Last Word on Sports recently called the Ravens a “Top Fit” for free agent running back Najee Harris.
Harris spent 2025 playing with the Chargers on a 1-year, $5.25 million contract, but tore his Achilles tendon in Week 3. That also means he was injured early enough in the year that being available for the start of the 2026 season is still on the table.
From LWOS: “For the Ravens, the team lost Keaton Mitchell after deciding not to tender him. Baltimore is still a contender despite firing head coach John Harbaugh, but retaining Derrick Henry. However, the Ravens must understand that Henry is slowing down, and Harris could be the perfect fit to be his duo.”
Ravens Have Plenty of Familiarity With Najee Harris
The Ravens know what Harris can do better than any team in the NFL after playing against him twice a year.
Harris, 6-foot-1 and 245 pounds, was a 1st round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2021 NFL draft and reeled off 4 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in his first 4 NFL seasons.
“Six months after tearing his Achilles tendon, free agent running back Najee Harris wants NFL teams to see that his recovery is on pace,” Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith wrote on March 24. “Harris’s agent posted video of him sprinting on a treadmill this week. Harris tore his Achilles tendon in his third game with the Chargers, on September 21. Running in a straight line on a treadmill is a far cry from the kind of cutting a running back has to do on the football field, but being able to sprint in March is a good sign that he’ll be able to do everything he has to do by Week One.”
It wasn’t Harris’ 1st injury in 2025 — the torn Achilles followed an eye injury suffered in a July 4 fireworks mishap, which cost him most of training camp and the preseason.
Ravens Already Have NFL’s Elite 1-2 Rushing Attack
There’s hope that new Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle will become the person who finally figures out how to use both Henry and 2-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson effectively in the same game. Which might be more about ego and hurt feelings than anything else.
The biggest problem for the Ravens on offense — besides shoddy blocking — has been that Jackson and Henry so rarely get hot at the same time. When Jackson has a big game, Henry’s carries disappear. We inevitably see him, at some critical point in the game, standing on the sideline watching — and not of his own volition.
When Henry gets carries and has a big game, Jackson also usually has a huge game, but they share the spotlight. See the problem here?