Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris. Jessica Rapfogel-USA TODAY Sports

Steelers RB Najee Harris avoids 'bust' label with season turnaround

By Aaron Becker | Last updated 1/13/23

Steelers RB Najee Harris had a rough start to his 2022 season, with some even naming him a bust. But the former 24th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft had quite the turnaround in the second half of the year.

Harris was graded as the best running back in the NFL since Week 13, according to Pro Football Focus.

Highest graded running back since Week 13:

Najee Harris - 84.4 pic.twitter.com/l3tXjTtWKc
— PFF PIT Steelers (@PFF_Steelers) January 11, 2023

Harris dealt with a foot injury to start the season that he had suffered during training camp. He rushed for just 361 yards and one touchdown before the Steelers' Week 9 bye.

However, the bye week may be all he needed, finishing the year with 673 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, per ESPN.com.

While there was a lot of outside noise surrounding Harris, head coach Mike Tomlin always had his back.

"I thought he got better with each passing day. He's a mentally tough guy and a competitor. His play got consistently better throughout. I expected it to," Tomlin said.

Harris has now posted back-to-back 1,000+ rushing yard seasons to start his career, the first Steeler to ever eclipse such a feat.

List of Steelers who started their careers with two seasons of 1000+ rushing yards:

1. Najee Harris

Clearly bothered by injuries in the first half of the year, Harris really turned in some strong performances to close the season out.
— Daniel Valente (@StatsGuyDaniel) January 10, 2023