With Arthur Smith as the offensive coordinator and Mike Tomlin as the head coach, running the football will be a priority for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But after Najee Harris left for the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency, it left a huge hole in the depth chart.
We assumed the Steelers would be more active in free agency, looking for a veteran to replace Harris but that didn’t really happen. Now the Steelers are looking at the 2025 NFL draft in three weeks as a potential replacement. Let’s break down what the Steelers have, what they still need and how to make it happen.
Current depth chart
Jaylen Warren
Warren returns as the team’s leading rusher and while we love Warren, he’s not a feature back.
Kenneth Gainwell
The Steelers signed Gainwell, who backed up Saquon Barkley last season. He should be a quality reserve, but he hasn’t shown he can carry a heavy workload.
Cordarrelle Patterson
Mostly a bust after signing last offseason, we are shocked Patterson is still on the roster.
Jonathan Ward
A depth player and could go into training camp on the roster bubble.
Free agency
There are still a few running backs out there who could help the Steelers as they are grossly undervalued by the NFL.
JK Dobbins
Jamaal Williams
Nick Chubb
Gus Edwards
NFL draft
While free agency isn’t great, the NFL draft is loaded with running backs. Here are our favorites among the group with an emphasis on guys who bring lots of speed and explosion to the position.
Dylan Sampson – Tennessee
Quinshon Judkins – Ohio State
Kaleb Johnson – Iowa
DJ Giddens – Kansas State
Bhayshul Tuten – Virginia Tech
Jaydon Blue – Texas
Plan of attack
If we were in charge of the Steelers, the first thing we’d do is sign JK Dobbns. Worst-case scenario, he shares carries with Warren and the run game essentially stays the same in 2025 as it was in 2024. Then, turning to the draft, I’d wait until the fourth round and try to land Blue or Tuten to add elite speed and quickness to the running back rotation.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: 2025 NFL draft: How do the Steelers replace Najee Harris?
With Arthur Smith as the offensive coordinator and Mike Tomlin as the head coach, running the football will be a priority for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But after Najee Harris left for the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency, it left a huge hole in the depth chart.
We assumed the Steelers would be more active in free agency, looking for a veteran to replace Harris but that didn’t really happen. Now the Steelers are looking at the 2025 NFL draft in three weeks as a potential replacement. Let’s break down what the Steelers have, what they still need and how to make it happen.
Current depth chart
Jaylen Warren
Warren returns as the team’s leading rusher and while we love Warren, he’s not a feature back.
Kenneth Gainwell
The Steelers signed Gainwell, who backed up Saquon Barkley last season. He should be a quality reserve, but he hasn’t shown he can carry a heavy workload.
Cordarrelle Patterson
Mostly a bust after signing last offseason, we are shocked Patterson is still on the roster.
Jonathan Ward
A depth player and could go into training camp on the roster bubble.
Free agency
There are still a few running backs out there who could help the Steelers as they are grossly undervalued by the NFL.
JK Dobbins
Jamaal Williams
Nick Chubb
Gus Edwards
NFL draft
While free agency isn’t great, the NFL draft is loaded with running backs. Here are our favorites among the group with an emphasis on guys who bring lots of speed and explosion to the position.
Dylan Sampson – Tennessee
Quinshon Judkins – Ohio State
Kaleb Johnson – Iowa
DJ Giddens – Kansas State
Bhayshul Tuten – Virginia Tech
Jaydon Blue – Texas
Plan of attack
If we were in charge of the Steelers, the first thing we’d do is sign JK Dobbns. Worst-case scenario, he shares carries with Warren and the run game essentially stays the same in 2025 as it was in 2024. Then, turning to the draft, I’d wait until the fourth round and try to land Blue or Tuten to add elite speed and quickness to the running back rotation.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: 2025 NFL draft: How do the Steelers replace Najee Harris?
