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Recent history suggests Mike Tomlin will bench Najee Harris soon after recent comments

2023-11-20 10:28
If recent history is any indication, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin won't take kindly to Najee Harris's postgame comments after Week 11's loss to the Browns.
Recent history suggests Mike Tomlin will bench Najee Harris soon after recent comments

Pittsburgh Steelers running back was one of the few players willing to take accountability and speak out about the team's pedestrian-at-best offense. The Steelers scored just 10 points against the Browns, and lost to a team starting their third-string rookie QB. Fans have a right to be upset about it, and you can bet the Steelers locker room feels the same way.

However, Mike Tomlin and the majority of Pittsburgh's players will simply repeat the company line. The standard is the standard with the Steelers, but that standard hasn't been good enough this season, specifically offensively.

"You can do one of two things. You can look at the record and say, Ok we're still good right now or you can look at the record and say if we keep playing this football how long is that s*** going to last," Harris said postgame.

Will Najee Harris's comments have any repercussions for Steelers RB?

The Steelers have an easy out here with Harris. Frankly, Jaylen Warren has been the better running back through 11 weeks. Harris may be a former first-round pick, but at this point the Steelers should commit to the better player, which is Warren, as I wrote on Sunday:

"I've got nothing against Najee Harris as a running back. He has a role in this offense, especially as it's forced into a run-heavy scheme because of Pickett's inability to stretch the field. There should be plenty of carries available for Harris down the line...But...did anyone else watch Jaylen Warren on Sunday? Warren has routinely looked like the better and more explosive runner."

Harris could be benched for on-field reasons, but Tomlin has set a precedent in recent weeks. When right tackle Chuks Okorafor was benched for making degrading comments about the offense. Broderick Jones was inserted in his place, which has done wonders for the rushing attack.

Providing Warren with more carries could do the same, as he had over 100 yards on just nine carries Sunday.