The Pittsburgh Steelers have good news. Their running back Najee Harris is reported to be ready to join Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots in Week 2 after the test on his knee came out negative.
Harris was injured in the second half of the Steelers last game, a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The running back was injured during the fourth quarter when he limped to the sidelines after a run. He did not return for the rest of the game and was seen leaving the locker room wearing a protective boot after the game.
Harris was sidelined for most of the training camp. His knee injury forced him to go through a more heavy training session. He also included after-boot camp cardio exercises to follow up the training portion.
“I just want to be ready for whatever is thrown at me during the season,” Harris said during the last week of camp. “If it’s a heavy workload, I want to be prepared for it. I’ve been down for two weeks. I’ve kind of started again in terms of conditioning, but I’ve been doing a lot of swimming, hills, extra running, even playing it after practice, and just running some more. Any way I can to stay in shape.”
Tests today on Steelers’ RB Najee Harris’ foot injury came back negative and there is a belief that, according to a source, he “should be good to go” Sunday vs. the Patriots.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 12, 2022
He was preparing for another heavy job this season after recording 395 rushing yards from 18 games as a rookie. He made a great performance as a rookie in which he set a Steelers rookie record with 1,200 yards rushing. The Steelers need someone like Harris to help quarterback Mitch Trubisky settle into the offense.
Harris’ foot injury was not his first, as he dealt with a Lisfranc injury throughout training camp. However, he was good to go for the Steelers’ season opener. In the previous game, he had 10 carries for 23 yards and caught two passes for three yards. Moreover, he also scored the only offensive touchdown in the last game.
**Other injury updates from Pittsburgh**
Along with Harris, star linebacker T.J. Watt was also injured in the last game against Cincinnati. The Monday injury updates reported that Watt may not have suffered a fully torn pec muscle. Watt and Harris left the game with injuries in the fourth quarter and didn’t return.
“Praying that everything’s going to be all right,” Alex Highsmith said of Watt. “I know a guy like him, that’s gonna hurt him that he’s not out there because he loves football so much. We’re just going to rally around him. We’ve got the guys to just be able to step in and deliver if he’s not able to go.”
Steelers next game
On Sunday, the Steelers will face the Patriots. In Week 1, the Patriots’ defense allowed only 65 rushing yards to the Dolphins, yielding them 18 first downs and 307 total yards. However, the Patriots were defeated by the Dolphins 20-7.
On other hand, the Steelers managed a win over Cincinnati in Week 1. This was not an easy win for Pittsburgh because their offense struggled to get through the Bengals’ defense. Pittsburgh’s offense only managed 13 first downs and 267 yards in 70 minutes. Harris is expected to join the upcoming game.