During the Steelers’ training camp, Najee Harris wasn’t only stepped on. Mike Tomlin said the running back’s foot was stepped on when he fell during practice, but the injury was quite minor. But Harris revealed on Sunday that the problem was actually a torn lisfranc ligament in his foot. Harris was sidelined for more than a month due to the injury, and on Sunday he made his game-time comeback.
“I was rusty a little bit,” Harris said. “I was down for about four weeks. Just to give everybody an update, I didn’t just get my foot stepped on, I had a sprained lisfranc. So, that’s why I was out for the majority of camp.”
When it came to preseason play, Harris had been requesting carries for a while and his wish came true. Harris gained 10 yards on four carries and 11 yards on three pass receptions. He played for two complete quarters to get rid of the rust. However, he wasn’t really pleased with his performance on Sunday.
Najee Harris revealed after the game that he had been out with a sprained Lisfranc injury. Said recovery time is 4-6 weeks and he just passed four weeks.
"I never did 'just' get my foot stepped on," Harris said of the injury he sustained early in camp.— Joe Rutter (@tribjoerutter) August 29, 2022
“I feel really rusty, and I wasn’t too happy with my performance,” Harris said. “Man, I had a bad read on one run. You know, I had a false start. Then, there was one nice play. But you know, it was the preseason and it was nice to get out there. I’ll go back, watch the film, and get better at it.”
Although Harris didn’t run like he was injured, this is concerning because it may prevent him from performing at his best early in the year. Make no mistake, none of the running backs following Harris can take Harris’ spot in the lineup. Pittsburgh is still figuring out the depth chart at running back.
As a rookie in the NFL last year, Harris was fourth in rushing yards. On 307 carries, he gained 1,200 yards, and he received 381 touches in all during the season. With this kind of injury and a questionable offensive line, Pittsburgh shouldn’t be in a hurry to force Harris back into the field.
