Why the Cowboys should avoid suggested trade for this running back

Why Dallas shouldn’t “run” with this idea.

What can you say about the Dallas Cowboys front office? They might be the most maddening front office in all of sports. Yes, they’re successful, boasting the wealthiest franchise in the NFL, despite being stagnant in their approach to player acquisition. But they have left the team in a pattern of ‘slightly above average yet disappointing’ over nearly the last 30 years.

The team constantly avoids making big moves in free agency and trading for premier talent on the market. But not every suggested trade is a winner. Bleacher Report posted an article highlighting a few trades that should happen following the draft and suggested the Cowboys should acquire Najee Harris from Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh recently passed on the 26-year-old’s fifth-year option. Per Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Harris’ trainer, Josh Scott, said that perceived snub is just one more log on the fire of motivation for Harris in this all-important season for his career:

“It’s all fueling his fire to have an even better season than last year and prove a lot of people wrong. There’s a lot of people that hate on him for whatever reason, but he’s been as consistent as you can be. He’s durable. I think he’s going to continue with that. I mean, contract season, that pretty much speaks for itself.”

The Steelers have another running back on the roster who has been consistently more explosive than Harris in third-year pro Jaylen Warren, who averaged north of five yards a carry last year. Veteran acquisition Cordarrelle Patterson could be used to spell Warren.

Simply put, Pittsburgh’s offense would be better with Warren as the lead back.

The Dallas Cowboys brought back Ezekiel Elliott in the offseason, but after Tony Pollard’s departure, they have a massive question mark in the backfield.

With all due respect, the Cowboys should avoid acquiring Harris via trade. Harris has been a known commodity since his days at Antioch High School in California, where he was labeled a five-star prospect before committing to the University of Alabama. Harris won two national championships with the Crimson Tide and was the Doak Walker award recipient after running for 1,466 yards with 26 rushing touchdowns in his senior season. Harris was also named to a Pro Bowl in his second season. Harris has also proven durable, having started every game in his professional career. Yet, things haven’t gone swimmingly for Harris throughout his time with the Steelers.

While many praised his rookie season, Harris could have been a more efficient runner in 2020, having run for 3.9 yards per attempt on 307 carries. In his career, Harris has only run for over four yards an attempt just once, and that was last year, sharing the backfield duties with fellow Steelers running back Jaylen Warren. As a pass catcher, which was one of his brighter aspects as a prospect, Harris has all but ceded that role within the Pittsburgh offense to Warren, catching 29 passes last year to Warren’s 61 last season.

Rotoballer.com analyzed his Rushing Yards Over Expected (RYOE), which paints an underwhelming picture of Harris’s efficiency as a runner. Harris only had .31 yards per attempt, over what he was expected to produce for each carry. That’s not bad, but it’s not great either. He’s contributing just enough to be marginally better than what he’s given to work with. The reason for this could be his inconsistent vision as a runner. Here are two separate tweets that either admonish or praise Harris’ ability to see and exploit the hole.

Harris doesn’t have the premier burst to run away from a defense, just average speed. Per fantasypros.com, Harris had the fourth-most runs of 20+ yards (8) but zero for 30 yards or more. When you factor everything in, Harris’s reduced role isn’t a means to preserve him; it’s a means to move past him. Pittsburgh has declined to pick up his fifth-year option, essentially meaning that the team is willing to play things out with him this season at the very least.

As a player, Harris’ situation in Pittsburgh feels eerily similar to where the Cowboys were with Ezekiel Elliott two years ago: A good running back with excellent football character but isn’t worth a substantial investment. The concern with Dallas trading for Najee Harris is they get Harris at what he is now, versus what he was during the amateur and early stages of his career.

The Cowboys have been known to overpay in trades, such as their trade for third-string quarterback Trey Lance. Harris will turn 27 next spring, and there’s no sign a change of scenery will change what he already is. Do not make that trade.