The Steelers have turned their roster over considerably this offseason, with some position rooms experiencing more upheaval than others. As we prepare for training camp, in this series, we’ll look back on the prominent faces no longer in Pittsburgh. For the sake of brevity, we’ll review them in groups, each headed by one of the bigger names.
RB Najee Harris:
Najee Harris marks not the latest, but one of the more recent in the Steelers’ growing list of disappointing first-round picks. Thanks to Kenny Pickett after him, they already had a follow-up. But outside of T.J. Watt, the Steelers haven’t picked up one of their own players’ fifth-year options since Ryan Shazier. Think about that — Bud Dupree, Artie Burns, Terrell Edmunds, Devin Bush, Kenny Pickett and Najee Harris.
We don’t even know yet if the Steelers will want to pick up Broderick Jones’ option, but they’ll need to know by May. While Najee Harris wasn’t a bad player by any means, the Steelers didn’t feel he merited the investment. Instead, they invested in Jaylen Warren and drafted Kaleb Johnson.
Of course, if the Steelers drafted Harris in the fourth round, this would be a much different story. But now he’s with the Chargers and has a chance to prove the Steelers wrong. Was it the Steelers’ fault that he could never fully take off, or does he just lack that extra something?
Najee Harris still ended his Steelers career sixth all-time in rushing in franchise history with 4,312 yards. He is seventh in rushing touchdowns with 28, seventh in yards per game (nearly tied with Barry Foster). There’s no doubt he was productive. But the fact that Duce Staley has a higher career-long run with the Steelers at 38 yards tells you a lot about why Harris is no longer here.
ILB Tyler Matakevich:
Once upon a time, Tyler Matakevich was a good find for the Steelers. A seventh-round pick and an insanely prolific college player, he was one of Danny Smith’s first special teams aces. He aced it so well that he earned a good contract for it from the Bills in free agency.
After four years in Buffalo, Matakevich re-signed with the Steelers last year. Things didn’t go as planned, however, as he suffered an injury early in the season. When he returned, he struggled to make a big impact. Since then, the Steelers drafted ILB Carson Bruener in the seventh round — maybe the next ace up their sleeve. Meanwhile, Matakevich is likely at the end of the road in his NFL career. Hell of a run, Dirty Red. Nothing but respect for your game.
OL Nate Herbig:
The Steelers entered training camp with the preposterous notion that Nate Herbig was in pole position to be their starting center. While it was never likely he would enter the season as such, it was a fair sign of respect.
Unfortunately for him and for the Steelers, he suffered a season-ending injury in training camp. That ended all illusions of competition and pushed second-round rookie Zach Frazier into the starting role. But Herbig was going to be, at worst, the swing interior reserve.
Fortunately for the Steelers, Ryan McCollum proved to be a solid backup center. It also gave Mason McCormick the opportunity to prove himself, and he’s now a starter. Nate Herbig signed with the Washington Commanders, while Pittsburgh could probably use another interior lineman.
Leave a Reply