1. Better than you think
Najee Harris has taken his fair share of heat. From fans, from media and even from advanced analytics. But it’s time to look at the brighter side of what Harris has done through three games for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The starting running back is rating out well in some of the more in-depth metrics.
Harris ranks fourth among all qualifying NFL running backs in Rush Percentage Over Expected, a metric calculated by NFL Next Gen Stats. Essentially, Harris, on average, is gaining 0.79 yards per carry more than the average running back should based on the positioning of would-be tacklers when he gets the ball. For contrast, Harris was the fourth worst in this number last season.
It should not come as a surprise then that Harris is among the leaders in yards after contact. Pro Football Focus pegs Harris’ season average at 3.37 yards after contact, fifth most in the league. Sports Info Solutions’ numbers have Harris with 122 yards after contact. For context, Harris has 139 net rushing yards overall.
SIS reports Harris has nine broken tackles this season, third most among league running backs. He also has forced two “missed” tackles (those avoided via agility and not strength/force), giving Harris an overall broken/missed tackle rate of 26% that is tied for fifth in the NFL.
Only one NFL running back (former Steeler James Conner) has more rushes of 15 or more yards than Harris’ four.
2. But … a nitpick
It’s not all positive, though, for Harris in 2023. For a player who had 74 catches as a rookie two years ago, Harris’ lack of production in the receiving game is eyebrow-raising. Through three games, Harris has three catches for 2 net yards on six targets. Those raw numbers, of course, aren’t good. And PFF relays that Harris has run a route 48 times this season. The 2 net yards produced from that are the worst for a running back who has played at least 38 snaps, and the 0.04 average yards per route run is by far the worst in the NFL.
3. Ode to Watt
Fresh off being named AFC Defensive Player of the Month, T.J. Watt needs no reinforcement from more intricate stats to support his greatness this season. But SIS provided some, anyway, in the form of an NFL-most 20 QB pressures generated this season, most in the NFL. Watt, who has a league-best six sacks, is credited with an NFL-best 8.6 “pressures above expectation.”
In short, that stat was devised to create a number at which an average NFL pass rusher would create a pressure when factors such as the quarterback’s drop type, the down and distance, the score, the use of play-action and each defender’s alignment are considered.
Steelers fans might find it notable that the Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett is second to Watt at 8.3%. No. 3 Byron Young of the Los Angeles Rams is at 6.8%.
4. No fooling anyone
It’s difficult to quantify or sometimes recognize when or why a play call or offensive scheme has failed to produce. Here are two elaborate manners in which that can be exhibited, and the Steelers are behind the pack in each.
PFF has charted how often an offense faces a perfectly covered play. And while that might sound as if it is giving kudos to opposing defenses, it is said to more measure the level of confusion or unexpectedness the offense is providing its opponent. Regardless, the Steelers rank last in the metric. In other words, fewer eligible Steelers are “schemed open” than anyone else.
The teams on the opposite side of that spectrum — the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions — have been among the NFL’s most productive offenses this season.
Another tidbit unearthed by PFF: No team in the NFL has had lower “personnel diversity” over the past five seasons than the Steelers. Personnel diversity is defined by an offensive player lining up at a spot not associated with his position, i.e., a running back at wide receiver or a tight end in the backfield.
Put simply, the Steelers are taxing defenses’ abilities to diagnose and react at a lower rate than virtually all of the rest of the league. It’s a factor in the Steelers’ offensive struggles.
Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris by email at cadamski@triblive.com or via Twitter .