The New York Giants have released running back Najee Harris, two days after he voiced criticism about the coaching staff's game plan for the team's running backs. Harris's departure follows a performance where he carried the ball four times for only two yards.
Harris had been acquired during training camp amidst struggles by other running backs. In the recent game, he started but was limited to six snaps without a carry, as Cam Skattebo was largely sidelined after a fumble.
Following the game, Harris commented on the difficulty for the running backs to establish a rhythm due to the team's play rotation. "I don't think nobody can," Harris said, as reported by the New York Daily News. "And this is not to anything that's the coaching staff or anything. This is just personal, running backs, quarterbacks. It's hard to get in a rhythm with one or two plays. The first couple runs will be, 'OK, how are they playing me?' The next one is gonna be, 'OK, this is how you attack it.' But if you're getting a play here and get taken out four series, there's nothing you can do. I don't know. I've never been through this before."
Harris, who has four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to start his NFL career, has struggled to replicate that production. He currently has 99 rushing yards on 31 carries for a 3.2 yards-per-carry average this season. Harris was a first-round pick from Alabama and spent his first four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers before joining the Los Angeles Chargers, where injuries limited his play.
The Giants' running backs have collectively averaged 3.4 yards per carry this season. Skattebo leads the team with a 3.6-yard average, with a significant portion of his 294 rushing yards coming in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Head coach John Harbaugh has expressed a desire for a player to emerge and take a leading role in the run game, stating, "Nobody's really taken the bull by the horns." With Harris's release, the team continues its search for a consistent feature back as they prepare to face the Houston Texans.