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Steelers running back Najee Harris stands on the sideline during OTA practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (Sebastian Foltz/Post-Gazette)
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Jason Mackey: What exactly is the problem if a few key Steelers have points to prove?

Sebastian Foltz/Post-Gazette

Jason Mackey: What exactly is the problem if a few key Steelers have points to prove?

Mike Tomlin beamed as the Steelers finished their first day of OTAs, the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach soaking in the optimism that surrounds the annual event, a chance to watch players added via trade, free agency and the draft take the field together and reach a key mile marker in the team-building process.

“It’s just good to take that step as a collective,” he said.

Yet in the air hung a scent of frustration, Cam Heyward taking to social media to rail against the circumstances surrounding his absence here, Najee Harris declining to talk about the Steelers ... well, declining his fifth-year option.

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For as good as George Pickens looked or the inevitable curiosity that emanates from a couple of new quarterbacks and what appears to be a halfway-functional offense, I was just as impressed by the saltiness displayed by two of the team’s most prominent players.

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Hacked off? Let’s hope.

Think it was late 1600s playwright and poet William Congreve — ironically my favorite of this particular era — who coined the phrase: “Hell hath no fury like a professional athlete scorned.” Something to that effect, anyway.

“It’s more motivation,” Jaylen Warren told me of his backfield mate’s contract situation. “There’s no bad blood. We understand it’s a business.”

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One that isn’t always pleasant, as everyone knows.

But when you examine where the Steelers should be strong, it’s hard to not start — especially within offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s new system — with the two-headed rushing attack that became one of the NFL’s best last season.

Harris and Warren combined for 2,359 scrimmage yards, which included 1,035 on the ground for Harris and 370 on 61 receptions for Warren. They totaled a dozen rushing touchdowns. It marked the third consecutive 1,000-yard season for Harris, who also averaged a career-high 4.1 yards per carry.

If all of this has Harris running with a particularly large chip on his shoulder, questioning what the heck he must do to get the requisite financial backing from his employer, well, I’m here for it.

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“We just need to keep doing our thing,” Warren said. “Film don’t lie. We did our thing last year. Why not keep it going? We’re only going to elevate it from here.”

We’ll have to wait and see with Harris. Perhaps the Steelers and the 2021 first-round pick get together on a new contract before the season, one that bucks the current league-wide trend of devaluing running backs.

At minimum, it seems from what one member of Harris’ inner-circle, Houston-based trainer Josh Scott, told our Brian Batko, there were several million reasons for the player to become more maniacal about his diet and training.

“It’s all fueling his fire to have an even better season than last year and prove a lot of people wrong,” Scott said.

This part is also important and fair to those involved: Harris hasn’t been a problem or a malcontent. Far from it. He’s been around his teammates and was again Tuesday. He was about an hour late Tuesday for personal reasons but Tomlin said Harris “was excused by me” and “we’re not taking attendance.”

It also doesn’t matter. It’s OTAs. But if there’s extra motivation for Harris to want to stick it to those questioning his abilities, all in the name of earning that next contract, well, the Steelers have had bigger problems.

Primarily the “how long has it been since they won a playoff game” question that’s been hanging around longer than frustration.

Heyward obviously knows that well. Perhaps it’s why he was angry when the PG’s Gerry Dulac reported that he informed the team via his podcast that he’d skip OTAs as part of a contract-negotiation strategy.

Certainly nothing against Heyward, but it’s hard to imagine caring whether or not he attends OTAs. Heyward’s NFL career started two years into the Obama administration. What could one possibly glean here?

It would be equally as ludicrous for the Steelers to throw a bunch of money at a 35-year-old defensive lineman who has dealt with myriad injuries over the past few years. As much as anyone might love Heyward the person, it’s not smart business.

Which, again, brings us here, to the wonderful axe-grinding station on the South Side, where Heyward will at some point show up with renewed goals of proving his health and ability, disproving others or making a statement that he’s worth the money.

Call it whatever you want: frustration, agitation or saltiness. I’ll go with necessary after watching the Steelers channel their collective obituary last season into an improbable playoff appearance. The next step should be that first postseason win since 2016.

“The reality is that these guys are putting the work in, regardless of whether it’s here in Pittsburgh or back home,” Russell Wilson said. “It’s a 365-days-a-year job. That’s the mentality we have as players. It’s our lifestyle.

“You guys saw Najee out there, learning every play. He’s asking questions. If he’s not here, he’s texting asking, ‘What was this? What was that?’ He’s just a great teammate and a guy who really wants to win. That’s the best part about this culture, this organization. It’s a winning organization. Guys want to do everything possible to win.”

Up to and including proving everyone else wrong.

Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and @JMackeyPG.

First Published: May 22, 2024, 2:19 p.m.
Updated: May 23, 2024, 7:15 p.m.

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