Najee Harris reveals the kind of role he anticipates to have in 2023

Najee Harris is the most sure-fire option on offense for the Pittsburgh Steelers. As the franchise still sorts out what they have in the passing game with QB Kenny Pickett and his receiving corps, they can rest easy considering, at the very least, they can rely on Harris as a weapon.

Harris spoke on the expectations for his role in 2023 in a media availability last week. To him, it doesn’t make a difference how Steelers OC Matt Canada plans to use him. He just wants to be put in the best position to succeed and, from there, he’ll do his thing while the coaches do their’s.

“I anticipate (that) Coach Canada and whoever who works upstairs to do what they can to get me the ball in space. To put me in the best positions possible. So, that being said, it can be (moving around more),” Harris said. “But I’m here just to (be) a player.”

“I just stay in my position and my place and I let the coaches do what they gotta do. And I just listen,” said Harris.

Over Harris’ two seasons as a Steeler, he has rushed for over 2,200 yards and 14 touchdowns. His 34 appearances in the black and yellow has also included nearly 700 receiving yards for six touchdowns. In total, Harris has 694 touches to his name. That includes a league-high 381 in his rookie season when he was also a Pro Bowler.

Pittsburgh still has a lot of work to do offensively as they finished 26th in the NFL in 2022. However, while they sort things out in the passing game, Harris wants to continue being the steadying, yet highly productive, presence that he has been in what will be his third pro season.

Matt Canada believes Pittsburgh Steelers have established clear offensive identity

The Pittsburgh Steelers are far from an identity crisis on the offensive side of the ball heading into the 2023 season. Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada is entering his third season as Pittsburgh’s play-caller, and apparently, he would like to continue leaning into the strength of their offensive attack from the back end of last season.

“I think our identity was pretty clear the last nine games,” Canada said. “We ran the ball really well. We were physical. You saw who we drafted, who we acquired. I don’t think there’s any question about what our identity’s gonna be.”

“I think we wanna run the football. We wanna be physical. We wanna be a good team that throws the ball down the field and takes advantage of what the defense gives us. And so I think our identity has been well known and we’ll stay at where we’re at,” Canada said.

The ground-and-pound attack worked great for Pittsburgh to close out the season last year, and it’s clear that they’ll continue to make that their bread and butter in 2023. This could not only continue helping them win games, but also open things up for quarterback Kenny Pickett as he heads into his second season under center for the Steelers.