Steelers’ Najee Harris appreciates Arthur Smith’s offense, Cordarrelle Patterson’s vet presence

As is the accelerated cycle of life in the NFL, Najee Harris seemingly has gone quickly from hotshot rookie to veteran who very well might be in his last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For the first time during his four-year Steelers tenure, though, Harris enters a season with a new offensive coordinator. He also enters with an established veteran in his position room for the first time.

Harris is a big fan of both.

With the season opener set for Sunday at the Atlanta Falcons, Harris throughout the spring and summer workouts, training camp and the preseason grew an appreciation for both coordinator Arthur Smith and 12-year veteran running back Cordarrelle Patterson.

“I love ‘CP,’ ” Harris said, referring to Patterson. “That’s my guy.

“I don’t know what to call him – an uncle? A good uncle? It’s good to have a veteran in the room.”

Harris explained how when he was a rookie in 2021, three other rookies were starting on offense and the senior member of the running backs corps was then-25 year-old journeyman Kalen Ballage. So, Harris said, he had to look to the defense to find veterans to serve as mentors.

Patterson, 33, has played in more NFL games than Harris and Jaylen Warren combined.

“To have a veteran in the room who played a lot of years and had success and might go to the Hall of Fame, to have that presence in the room is helpful to me personally,” Harris said. “Just him being there I think that was a big pickup this year.”

Harris similarly has been impressed by Smith, the former Falcons head coach who made his name as the play caller for the Tennessee Titans when 247-pound former Alabama running back Derrick Henry was a workhorse.

Harris (listed at 6-foot-1, 242 pounds) is also a former Alabama bruising runner.

“I like Arthur Smith as a coach. He’s a great coach,” Harris said after practice Thursday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “He has control of the offense. I think that’s a great thing. He’s shown that he’s been in this position before. Experienced. He’s got examples how maybe when he was in Tennessee or in Atlanta, certain situations or certain schemes come up and how to attack it. But just him as a leader, his comfortablility in being in this spot, I think that (is beneficial).”