Mike Tomlin's honest thoughts on Pittsburgh Steelers' Najee Harris revealed

After a difficult performance in Week 4, the Pittsburgh Steelers want running back Najee Harris to take a more measured approach with his carries.

During an appearance on Fox Sports 1's “Breakfast Ball” on Thursday, former NFL offensive lineman and current host Mark Schlereth shared a conversation with Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin, who explained that Harris always aims to break up big runs , when he should actually focus more on achieving an even distance from bottom to bottom.

“When I talked to Coach Tomlin, he always talked about how Najee needed to understand that not every meal is a banquet,” Schlereth said. “Sometimes you just have to take the four-yard lead with you. So you can’t break every run, and a lot of times you’re putting yourself in danger because you’re trying to make a big play on every single rush.”

Harris is coming off one of the least efficient games of his career against the Indianapolis Colts, gaining just 19 yards on 13 carries as the Steelers lost for the first time all season.

The failure of his attempts isn't solely on Harris' shoulders, however, and he more than held up his end of the bargain in the receiving game, racking up 54 yards, his most in a contest since September 26, 2021.

However, Pittsburgh's obvious frustrations with him extend well beyond the last few weeks, as he is currently attempting to play a style of football that is not conducive to his skills or overall strengths as a runner.

Among running backs who have finished in the top 20 in carries so far this year, Harris is averaging the second-fewest number of yards per attempt (3.4). Within the same group of players, his longest run of the year (21 yards) is the fifth-lowest.

Additionally, the longest attempt of Harris' NFL career totaled 37 yards, which came during his rookie season in 2021.

His constant pursuit of explosive plays has hurt his production and effectiveness in recent years, and the Steelers are hoping that reducing his targets could help him improve significantly.

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