Watch: Najee Harris stiff-armed a Falcons defender so hard he bounced him off the turf (Video)
By Josh Hill
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris displayed his insane strength after tossing an Atlanta Falcons defender to the ground with a brutal stiff arm.
When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Najee Harris, the idea was that he’d fit into an offense build aorund Ben Roethlisberger and deliever some extra punch. It’s safe to say things haven’t gone as well as expected, but that hasn’t stopped Harris from turning in some signature Steelers moments.
Specifically, Harris leaned into that extra punch element on Sunday in Atlanta.
Alabama may not have been in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday, but Harris represented the Tide with pride at Mercedez-Benz Stadium by choosing violence against Falcons defender Richie Grant.
Najee Harris stiff-armed Grant so hard that he dribbled him off the turf like a basketball.
Fans ahve been quick to blame a handful of suspects for what will be Mike Tomlin’s first losing season as head coach of the Steelers, and Harris has often found himself as the center. Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada is the easiest target, but Harris has fallen in and out of favor with fans based on how each week has gone.
What’s hard to deny, however, is that Harris is increasingly becoming a more important weapon to the Steelers future. He’s only 24-years-old and still has two yers left on his very afforadble $13 million rookie contract, so the calls for him to be traded are pretty dumbfounding. As Kenny Pickett settles in as the quarterback of the future, the Steelers will invest more in the offensive line which will also hep Harris — two offensive stars flying high without needing to work too hard to make them both happy.
And with angry runs like this, it’s clear that Harris is exactly the knd of guy the Steelers want in their backfield.