While many of the top players on both teams sat out, Thursday night’s 2021 preseason opener did feature the debut of Steelers running back Najee Harris, Pittsburgh’s first-round draft pick. And coach Mike Tomlin liked what he saw.
Harris got a healthy workload in the first quarter, carrying seven times for 22 yards and adding one catch for three yards. Those aren’t exactly spectacular statistics, but Tomlin says that’s fine.
“We weren’t looking for the spectacular,” Tomlin said, via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We wanted him to make the routine plays routinely . . . power forward. He did all the things we wanted him to do.”
At some point, the Steelers want Harris to do a lot more than he did on Thursday night. But in one preseason game, Tomlin is satisfied.
