Who Should I Start? Joe Mixon or Najee Harris

Saturday, January 18, 7:44 PM

Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon was one of the few bright spots for his team in a season-ending defeat to Kansas City on Saturday, during which he compiled 100 yards from scrimmage and scored his team's only touchdown. The former Cincinnati Bengal rushed for a game-high 88 yards on 18 carries, and also hauled in two of his three targets for another 12 yards. Unfortunately for Houston, its pass protection and kicking game were major letdowns, as the line allowed eight sacks and kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn missed two field goals and an extra point. It was a largely productive first season in Houston for Mixon, who hit 1,000 yards rushing and scored 12 regular-season touchdowns, but Houston's season concludes in the Divisional Round for the second straight year.

Tuesday, February 18, 11:23 AM

ESPN's Brooke Pryor writes that it would be cost prohibitive for the Pittsburgh Steelers to use the franchise tag on impending free-agent running back Najee Harris this year after they declined his fifth-year option a year ago. Additionally, neither quarterbacks Russell Wilson nor Justin Fields is worth the hefty price that would come with a franchise tag for a QB. However, Pittsburgh could consider using the transition tag on Wilson or Fields that would give them the ability to match another team's offer. RB Jaylen Warren will also be a restricted free agent, so the Steelers RB room could look quite different in 2025. Harris has over 1,000 yards rushing in all four of his NFL seasons and has started all 68 games, but he's lacked explosiveness by averaging 3.9 yards per carry on his 1,097 rushing attempts. Still, the Steelers could very well re-sign him, especially if they let Warren walk.