Najee Harris knows the Steelers made dramatic improvement by dumping Kenny Pickett

It’s become a backhanded compliment by numerous critics, and understandably so. Mike Tomlin took over as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2007. He’s yet to suffer through a losing campaign in each of his 17 years on the job.

Of course, a deeper dive shows that while the Black and Gold has made its share of playoff appearances in recent years, Tomlin’s club has not really shown up come kickoff. Dating back to the 2016 AFC title game, the Steelers have dropped five straight postseason contests. Pittsburgh has allowed at least 31 points in each of those setbacks—42-plus points in three of those games.

The Steelers won their last three games in 2023 and finished 10-7, but fell to the Bills in the first round of the playoffs. Tomlin’s squad utilized three different starting quarterbacks (Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph) this past season. All three are gone, so enter Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, as well as Kyle Allen.

Najee Harris voiced his opinion on the Steelers’ quarterback changes

The club’s first-round pick in 2021 had some positive thoughts recently on the franchise’s moves this year.

Harris certainly isn’t alone in feeling good about what general manager Omar Khan has done in 2024. Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus rates the addition of Wilson as the club’s best offseason move.

“The Steelers getting a former All-Pro and Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Wilson for $1.2 million in 2024 after the Broncos took on a dead cap hit of $85 million to have him not play is just good business by Pittsburgh. Wilson might not be what he once was, but he should still give Pittsburgh a decent ceiling at the position.”

Wilson's tenure with the Denver Broncos didn't go as planned, but he did look better last season than in his debut year in 2022. However, head coach Sean Payton wanted to bring in his own quarterback, which happened to be Bo Nix.

As for Fields, he showed promise during his time with the Chicago Bears. However, with the team holding the No. 1 overall pick, that gave them the right to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams. While Fields had flashes of being a starter for the foreseeable future, Williams was the more polished prospect out of college, with a higher upside.

But now, the two will look to make the most out of their new opportunity in Pittsburgh.

There’s a new quarterback room, a new offensive coordinator (Arthur Smith), and a three-year running back playing for a lot this season (the Steelers did not pick up Harris’ fifth-year option). Then again, Tomlin and this club are playing for plenty in 2024. Meanwhile, Harris seems to feel that when it comes to their new looks behind center, Pittsburgh has made all the right moves.