2026 stillers

that goes for any qb. None work well under constant pressure.

 

The change in scheme can really help him. Streamlining the responsibilities of the ILB will also make them play faster. Now, if they can get the defensive lineman to keep them a bit cleaner, a guy like Wilson has the speed to run sideline to sideline and make plays.

I think this will be part of what Graham is going to try to do.

 

If I wanted to be wrong, yes, it would be easy to say they chose the guy they thought was the better back. That they never started Warren and consistently gave Harris more snaps and touches tells a different story.

The choice that made sense at the time was to keep both. They clearly see what I see in Warren, an excellent back, but one who needs someone to split the workload for him. No matter how well he was playing, they continued to limit his touches in 2025. Warren still hasn't carried the ball 20 times in a game in his career. Not once. I think they looked at Harris's attitude about money and the heavy workload he had already carried in his first three seasons, and those are why they passed on the fifth-year option.

Letting him leave meant they pretty much had to draft a back early, which was compounded by Johnson being a bust so far. Luckily for them, Gainwell had a career year, and then they were able to upgrade for 2026 with Dowdle. He is the kind of back who should pair well with Warren.

 

Man, this is really funny, but not in the way you think. Unless you meant to point out who it was that actually brought up Harris on this thread. Here is a hint. It wasn't me.

If you want to engage, engage. Doing this adds nothing to the conversation.

 

You know the Steelers started Harris every game he was a Steeler. You know they continued to give him more snaps and more touches than Warren. You know they were trying to win those games. Yet you cling to the notion that they thought Warren was the better option during those seasons.

I'm not the one sticking to a poor argument because he is too invested. I'm the one who is right.

The Steelers thought Harris was the better back, by a small margin, but also saw him pushing for more money and that he had a lot more wear and tear on his body than Warren. They moved on, and thanks to Gainwell's career year, it didn't hurt them. That was the only thing I got wrong in all of this. I didn't think Gainwell could do what he did in 2025. That isn't the first time I've admitted as much. Unlike so many others, I'll admit to the part I got wrong.

 

Who started every game when they had both backs? Who got more snaps? Who got more touches? Those are the facts that are on my side.

I explained why they would move on many times over. It wasn't about who was the better back in 2023 and 2024. It was about the wear and tear on Harris's body, a concern given the short shelf life of running backs. It was about his focus on wanting to get paid. We went over this before. You dismissed concerns about wear and tear right up to the moment that Harris blew out his Achilles. Then you wanted to talk about wear and tear. We each shared opposing opinions from experts we spoke with. You insist it was a time bomb waiting to happen. The expert I spoke to said it was just as likely a fluke. Now the wear and tear thing has been abandoned again.

Warren cut into Harris's workload in year two because he is a hell of a back, but the Steelers still used Harris like the lead back, more so than they did with Warren last year.

There are no mental gymnastics needed. During his entire four years as a Steeler, the team thought he was their best back, and distributed the playing time and touches accordingly. When the time came to decide on the option, they realized they would have him for no more than that fifth year. He would either break down or demand big money after that. He might even cause trouble if they kept him on the option. They also knew running backs don't last long and he had a lot of wear on the treads already, so they continued to treat him like the better back in 2024, but moved on after that.

 

Bump

 

Are you arguing that they started Harris, gave him more snaps, and gave him the ball more while thinking he was the lesser back simply because he had been drafted in the first round four years earlier by the previous general manager? In other words, are you saying they put his draft status ahead of doing what would have given them the best opportunity to win?

If I'm misrepresenting your opinion, please correct me, but that sounds like some serious mental gymnastics by someone who is too deeply invested in his argument to turn back.

Do you even remember how much I criticized the idea of Gainwell being anything more than a third-stringer? The guy averaged only 3.9 yards per carry as the backup in Philadelphia, which isn't great considering they had a great system, the best offensive line in the NFL, and elite receivers taking the heat off the running game. Your statement that I wasn't invested in that point simply is not accurate. I pushed hard that Johnson needed to step up because I didn't think Gainwell could do what he did. Maybe you forgot that. Maybe you just don't like me disproving the claim that I won't admit when I'm wrong.

 

The guy who brought Harris into the discussion now wants to keep reminding everyone this thread is supposed to be about the 2026 Steelers. Gotta love people causing an issue, then complaining about said issue.

 

Can we all agree the Steelers wont start Harris in 2026?

 

Well now that you bring it up he is available

Apparently no one likes him better than any other RB on 32 rosters

 

That blown Achilles might have something to do with it, though good luck finding anyone here who was arguing to keep him past the 2025 season. I argued the opposite.

Cue the guy who started this argument, and just added to it, trying to blame others for the tangent he created again.

 

Yep its tough being a RB, unlesss you super elite at the position or the team has made an investment in you, and injury can essentially end your career. There are just so many guys ready to step right in and produce .

 

there may even be some guys that never get their shot that are buried behind guys. lew nichols comes to mind. we may see him again tear up preseason the way he did last year only to be buried on the PS.

 

Whether dealing with irrational people or just finding yourself in a pointless debate, knowing when to walk away is a true superpower.

Unless you a really bored.

Or just like messing with people which I thoroughly understand.

 

I love the moving of goalposts involved in going from "you won't admit when you are wrong" to "you only admit you are wrong when it is an issue I care less about."

Besides, you keep claiming that it is indisputable that the Steelers thought Warren was better in 2023 and 2024 because they let him leave after the 2024 season. You are incorrect about it, but you act as if I am clinically insane to dispute the point. Of course, I think we both know better.

It is laughable to argue that the Steelers kept giving the ball to Harris more four years later just because he was a first-round draft pick. If they were that stubborn about proving that it was a good pick, they would have picked up his option.

My point has always been that they thought Harris was the better back in 2023 and 2024, so how are those two seasons irrelevant?

 

It's not a false narrative. It is a fact-based one that you don't like.

I love that the guy saying you should walk away from this argument is the one who started it up again on this thread.

 

I just made this popcorn

It is 2026 popcorn and I only had to make it once

Just like Dowdle who I made a relevant post about

 

Now you aren't even trying to make sense. Aren't statistics facts?

In 2023, Najee Harris started every game. Even though both backs where healthy, he got 255 carries and 290 total touches. Warren ran the ball 149 times and caught 61 passes for 210 touches. That was over 100 more carries for Harris. Warren caught the ball more because he was the third-down back. Those statistics indicate that they thought Harris was the better back.

In 2024. Harris started every game. He ran the ball 263 times and caught 36 passes for 299 total touches. Warren ran the ball 120 times and caught 38 passes for 158 total touches. Part of the gap was that Warren was missing two games, but Harris still had a significant advantage in touches. Those statistics also indicate that they thought Harris was the better back.

If those were the first couple of seasons of Harris's career, that he was a first-round pick might hold up as an excuse. This was year three and four, and it wasn't even the GM who drafted him. If they were worried about saving face, they would have used the fifth-year option.

Tomlin may be loyal, but he's not going to weaken the team that much by giving the ball 141 more times to the lesser back in 2024 alone.

I feel like you keep ignoring what my actual argument was, which was that they thought Harris was the better back, the one who gave them the better chance to win, in 2023 and 2024.

Your argument is based on them letting Harris leave while keeping Warren, but the quality of play isn't the only factor when teams decide who to keep and who to let go. The players' attitude and financial demands matter. The wear and tear on the player's body matters, especially with running backs.

The stronger evidence is on my side, and you lose a great deal of credibility when you falsely claim there are no facts on my side of the argument.