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The annual Hall of Fame Game marks the launching point of the road to the Super Bowl, and this year we get a fun one between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. Preseason games can get a little dry in the second half, particularly the first preseason game on a given team’s calendar. However, this Cowboys-Steelers game offers some interesting storylines.
Arguably the most interesting will be the debut of Steelers rookie running back Najee Harris. Pittsburgh spent their first round pick on the Alabama star who won the 2020 Doak Walker Award and was a unanimous All-American. The Steelers have a limited window for Ben Roethlisberger and with salary cap issues making it difficult to retain all their talent, the draft offered an opportunity to add a serious playmaker.
Harris will make his debut for the Steelers in Thursday’s preseason game and we’ll be here to track everything from the evening. We know Harris will be the starter this season, but it will be interesting to see how much they feed him, even in just a preseason game. The backup situation will be relevant, so we’ll see if Harris gets a heavy workload even on limited snaps. We’ll drop in snap count, final stats, and relevant video as the game progresses.
Najee Harris stats
Through three drives Harris has 7 carries for 22 yards and one reception on one target for three yards. He’s now done for the game.
Through two drives, 4 carries for 18 yards (4.5 yards per carry), two first downs. One reception for three yards.
1 carry for 6 yards, 1 reception for three yards on first drive.
Najee Harris snap count
Steelers RB snap count after 3 drives
— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) August 6, 2021
Najee Harris 19
Benny Snell 0
Anthony McFarland 0
Kalen Ballage 0
Jaylen Samuels 0
Out of 19 plays
Harris has been in on every play through the first three drives.
Najee Harris video
First carry
Najee Harris' first rush as a pro moves the sticks! @ohthatsNajee22
— NFL (@NFL) August 6, 2021
: @ProFootballHOF Game on FOX pic.twitter.com/XFysCFGlF5