Ever feel like someone’s getting blamed for stuff that’s not their fault? That’s kind of what happened with Najee Harris during his four-year stint with the Steelers. Everyone was talking about his ‘vision’ – like he couldn’t see the holes or make the right cuts. The fault didn’t all lie on his shoulders alone. But the narrative that started there snowballed into a storm that he’s still struggling to navigate.

For 4 straight seasons, Harris rushed for 1000+ yards and got a total of 28 touchdowns. Despite that, even last season, his former teammate Chris Hoke had said, “Sometimes, I worry about the vision of Najee Harris.” But here’s the tea: the real problem was not Harris. It was the Steelers’ offensive line for most of his run there.

On a recent edition of the Locked on Steelers podcast, Chris Carter laid it out flat and called out the O-line. Imagine trying to find your way through a maze that keeps shifting. That’s what Harris was dealing with. As Carter put it, “Najee Harris, I think he got a bad rap in Pittsburgh for his quote unquote vision because there were times that there just weren’t holes… the Steelers offensive line, for much of his time there was just so bad. And people need to understand when it comes to vision a lot of times when you think ‘oh this hole’s open over here’ it’s not the designed hole. It’s not what they were supposed to be attacking on that play and so it’s tough to anticipate that, and then times when you’re supposed to anticipate that the right hole to open, it’s not open.” 

When the O-line can’t hold blocks or open lanes, even the best RB’s vision is going to look shaky. Najee Harris was guessing where to cut because the “designed hole” wasn’t open, and that messes with your confidence and decision-making big-time. For Harris, the biggest challenge became trying to overcome the chaos in front of him. Combine that with the Steelers wanting a more explosive back, and you get why they moved on from him, even though he was durable and put up solid numbers. Enter: Kaleb Johnson, the third-round draft pick who took over the reins from Harris.

For Najee Harris, that meant looking for a new team to call his own. And with the Chargers signing him to a one-year, $9.5 million deal in March, it looked like he had found his team. But cut to June, and the trade clouds were already swirling around him. Even before he played a single snap with the Chargers. And the most likely place for Harris to end up now is with the Dallas Cowboys.

Jerry Jones to bring Najee Harris to Dallas?

With Najee Harris getting added to Bleacher Report’s ‘trade block big board’, Kristopher Knox drove it home. As Knox saw it, Harris’s one-year deal meant that he wasn’t going to be a part of the Chargers’ future. Knox also made the case by noting, “The Chargers also drafted Omarion Hampton with the No. 22 overall pick in April, and the North Carolina product might walk into an every-down role. – Teams in need of running back help would at least be wise to call about Harris’ availability. While he was never a high-level starter with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was a dependable high-volume back who topped 1,000 rushing yards in all four campaigns.”

Knox further suggested Dallas as a potential landing spot for Harris. As per Knox, “Dallas should consider adding Harris as a high-floor option in its backfield.” Even before his move to the Chargers, Dallas was one of the potential landing spots for Harris. With the addition of George Pickens, the Cowboys’ offense already looks explosive. Now, the Cowboys already have Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders from free agency this year. There’s also Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah lining up the RB room in Dallas. While there’s no immediate need, HC Brian Schottenheimer would benefit greatly from a steady 1000-yarder like Harris.

As for Jerry Jones, he’s known to make bold moves for the Cowboys’ roster. There is still one move left from the two roster moves he promised before the draft began. Pickens has fulfilled one of those promises. Will Najee Harris be the second move that ends up helping Dak Prescott open up more play possibilities? For Harris, it looks like the perfect chance to flip the script on his ‘vision’ critiques. Will Harris be a part of the dynamic system in Dallas? Let us know your thoughts.