With Najee Harris, I like the workload. They give him the ball plenty, virtually guaranteeing he’ll put up good numbers if he can stay healthy.
Harris ran the ball 307 times as a rookie, with another 74 touches on receptions. With the extra 17th game, that gets him up to the most handles by a running back since LaDainian Tomlinson.
Most coaches nowadays tend to favor the committee approach, but Mike Tomlin is more of a believer of just riding one guy.
In the last 10 years, 32 running backs have started for more than half the season and averaged at least 22 touches per game. Tomlin has five of those backs (LeVeon Bell did it five times). And there’s a sixth, DeAngelo Williams, who just misses the cutoff.
I don’t know that this is a great approach. I worry about them burning Harris out. Ezekiel Elliott has logged a lot of touches, and he’s now a 27-year-old running like he’s in his mid-30s. But it should be fun while it lasts.
RUNNING BACKS AVERAGING 22 TOUCHES PER GAME | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | St | Run | Rec | Total |
2014 | DeMarco Murray, Dall. | 16 | 24.5 | 3.6 | 28.1 |
2016 | • LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 12 | 21.8 | 6.3 | 28.0 |
2017 | • LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 15 | 21.4 | 5.7 | 27.1 |
2017 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 10 | 24.2 | 2.6 | 26.8 |
2020 | Dalvin Cook, Min. | 14 | 22.3 | 3.1 | 25.4 |
2018 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 15 | 20.3 | 5.1 | 25.4 |
2019 | Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 16 | 17.9 | 7.3 | 25.2 |
2020 | Derrick Henry, Ten. | 16 | 23.6 | 1.2 | 24.8 |
2012 | Arian Foster, Hou. | 16 | 21.9 | 2.5 | 24.4 |
2012 | Adrian Peterson, Min. | 16 | 21.8 | 2.5 | 24.3 |
2015 | Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 13 | 18.7 | 5.1 | 23.8 |
2016 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 15 | 21.5 | 2.1 | 23.6 |
2017 | Leonard Fournette, Jac. | 13 | 20.6 | 2.8 | 23.4 |
2014 | • LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 16 | 18.1 | 5.2 | 23.3 |
2016 | David Johnson, Ariz. | 16 | 18.3 | 5.0 | 23.3 |
2012 | Doug Martin, T.B. | 16 | 19.9 | 3.1 | 23.0 |
2014 | Matt Forte, Chi. | 16 | 16.6 | 6.4 | 23.0 |
2014 | Arian Foster, Hou. | 13 | 20.0 | 2.9 | 22.9 |
2013 | Zac Stacy, St.L. | 12 | 20.8 | 2.2 | 22.9 |
2013 | LeSean McCoy, Phil. | 16 | 19.6 | 3.3 | 22.9 |
2017 | Todd Gurley, LAR | 15 | 18.6 | 4.3 | 22.9 |
2019 | Leonard Fournette, Jac. | 15 | 17.7 | 5.1 | 22.7 |
2016 | Melvin Gordon, S.D. | 13 | 19.5 | 3.2 | 22.7 |
2013 | Matt Forte, Chi. | 16 | 18.1 | 4.6 | 22.7 |
2018 | Todd Gurley, LAR | 14 | 18.3 | 4.2 | 22.5 |
2021 | Najee Harris, Pitt. | 17 | 18.1 | 4.4 | 22.4 |
2015 | Adrian Peterson, Min. | 16 | 20.4 | 1.9 | 22.3 |
2013 | • LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 13 | 18.8 | 3.5 | 22.2 |
2019 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 16 | 18.8 | 3.4 | 22.2 |
2021 | Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 13 | 18.5 | 3.6 | 22.1 |
2018 | Saquon Barkley, NYG | 16 | 16.3 | 5.7 | 22.0 |
2013 | Adrian Peterson, Min. | 14 | 19.9 | 2.1 | 22.0 |
—Ian Allan