Steelers news: Fields sealing the deal, misuse of Najee Harris and Davante Adams destinations

The Pittsburgh Steelers are midway through a week that will end with a pivotal clash against the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday night. It feels like an inflection point, which will determine the direction of their season. After an outing that was uncharacteristically mistake-ridden and promising in other aspects, the Steelers are wounded, but still on two feet.

Nevertheless, these Steelers would always walk a tightrope given the constitution of their roster and their place in the AFC North. At 3-1, this is a young team in flux and many of the week’s headlines are an example of how the earth is always shifting beneath Pittsburgh’s feet. Questions remain about the potency of the offense led by Justin Fields or Russell Wilson, Najee Harris stumbling forward for below-average gains on early downs, and Davante Adams’ fit for Pittsburgh.

Steelers news: Justin Fields nailing Russell Wilsons coffin shut

On Tuesday, Mike Tomlin tipped his hand for the first time, suggesting that the offense may stick with Justin Fields’ hot hand after his riveting performance through the first four games.

Tomlin later followed up on what Fields could do to maintain the starter’s job by adding, “Play well, win. That's our business."

It’s not surprising that the Steelers have reached this point. Wilson’s calf injury has kept him out significantly longer than anyone imagined. Last week, reports indicated that he was still not moving at full speed. Meanwhile, on Sunday, Field became the first Steeler player ever with 300 passing yards, 50 rushing yards, and two touchdowns in a single game.

Wilson’s slow recovery, coupled with Field’s hot start, has led to an awkward situation that Tomlin has navigated flawlessly. But that was when they were undefeated. Wilson’s name has been passed around in trade conversations involving teams like Miami, but a second consecutive loss on Sunday Night Football would drop Pittsburgh to 3-2 and potentially complicate FIelds’ pole position. This is going to be an ongoing melodrama until Wilson gets traded or is ruled out for the season.

Steelers news: Najee Harris and the Steelers vanishing ground game

2024 has been a profoundly disappointing one for Najee Harris. Entering a contract season, the fourth-year tailback was supposed to peak in new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s zone-blocking system. However, Harris’ suboptimal season hit a new low on Sunday when the Steelers starting tailback averaged 1.5 yards a carry and failed to gain any traction against Indianapolis’ below-average run defense. Harris’ 19 yards on 13 carries was a microcosm of what’s ailed him all season. 

From Atlanta to Tennessee, outside zone runs and stretch attempts were Smith's bread and butter. Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live noted how Arthur Smith’s scheme doesn’t suit Harris’ stylistic strengths. 

The 6-foot-2, 240-pound running back should follow pullers and get downhill. Yet Smith has waned away from that with Harris, an odd usage decision. In the context of becoming a mid- and wide-zone runner, Harris just does not have the burst downhill nor the lateral quickness to maximize cutback lanes.

The idea of the stretch play, dating back to Mike Shanahan’s days with Terrell Davis, was to stress a defense horizontally or force them to over-pursue and cut it back. Harris lacks the burst to hit holes and correctly hit the set points’ timing in this scheme. It does not fit him as a runner. Meanwhile, Patterson and Jaylen Warren hit the hole with explosiveness and got going instantly. They are runners that can maximize themselves in this scheme. 

Then comes the point where the Steelers block gap runs horribly. Throughout the season’s first four weeks, gap runs have obvious free runners coming to hit Harris immediately, either due to poor blocks or missed assignments.

Smith has become predictable in some of his play calls and personnel usage. So, teams are dropping guys down into the box and blitzing a safety, forcing the Steelers to lose the numbers game. Meanwhile, Smith continues to ask wide receivers that are subpar blockers to dig out key defenders as the insert block, and those defenders continue to stifle Harris near the line of scrimmage.

As it relates to Harris, Nine of his first 13 carries Sunday came on zone runs, highlighting the compatibility issue between Harris and Smith. Harris has consistently faced contract in the backfield or at the line of scrimmage and while sealing gaps has been an issue for the offensive line all season, it’s only been exacerbated by injuries. Guard James Daniels left the Colts game early and was ruled out for the season today, leaving Pittsburgh down three starting linemen. The lack of trust in the ground game is transparent. During an early 4th and inches, the Steelers failed to convert on a designed quarterback run when a handoff to Harris would have likely done the job.

Steelers news: Davante Adams’ potential fit in Steel City

After sending Dionate Johnson to the Carolina Panthers this offseason, Pittsburgh went on a receiver’s spree acquiring four receivers, including rookie Roman Wilson in the third round of the draft. However, none have impressed as anything more than added depth.

Whoever the starter is for the remainder of the season will be, Fields and Wilson need a target, who can create separation and crack open big gains in the aerial attack. Pickens has targeted more than the Steelers three other top wideouts or tight ends combined four games into the season. Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, and Scotty Miller have been targeted 20 times. Pickens has been thrown at 29 times, gaining 284 yards on 20 carries. 

Pickens' outing Sunday was a mixed back. For one, the Steelers' number-one receiver eclipsed 100 yards for the first time all season. On the other, he fumbled in Colts territory trying to be cute. The mental miscues and errors have been a staple of Pickens' time in Pittsburgh, which has led to the Steelers periodically pursuing a string of elite receivers on opposing teams.

The Steelers are fully aware of their shallow receiving corps, which is why they were involved in a non-monogamous long-distance trade relationship with Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers during training camp. They’re now also frontrunners for the services of Davante Adams who is allegedly on track to be shuttled off in a trade, alongside the Chiefs and Jets. The Chiefs present a prime opportunity to win a Super Bowl, and the feeling is mutual after wideout Rashee Rice appeared to tear his ACL on Sunday. 

The Jets are a feel-good story that reunites Adams with former Green Bay colleagues Aaron Rodgers and Nathaniel Hackett. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is the dullest possibility, which means they’re most likely, despite their monastic offense and roster uncertainty. The deal would require Adams to restructure his deal to fit his massive contract under the Steelers remaining $10.6 million cap space. He’d also have to check his ego at the door knowing the reality of the quarterback situation, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.