Four straight 1,000-yard seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers had established Najee Harris as a workhorse back. Then a torn Achilles cut short his first season with the Los Angeles Chargers, leaving him to rebuild his strength before he could return to the field. By August, Harris was ready for another shot. “Everything that I did in the past is in the past, and really everything I do now is what matters,” he said after joining the New York Giants.

The opportunity seemed to fit. John Harbaugh wanted a physical running game, but finding the right lead back proved difficult. After Cam Skattebo’s costly mistakes, Harbaugh split carries among four running backs against the New Orleans Saints in Week 6. Harris, who had said “I want opportunity” at his first practice with New York, managed just two yards on four carries in the 34-27 loss. He later questioned how a running back could find his rhythm in such a rotation.

Days after Harris voiced that frustration, the Giants are releasing the veteran back, according to reports.

Harris’s limited workload against New Orleans was part of a wider problem in the Giants’ backfield. He played just 11 snaps, despite making his first start of the season, while Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary logged 29 and 31 snaps, respectively. The decision was notable because Harris had reportedly been expected to take on a larger role heading into the game.

Harbaugh had reduced Cam Skattebo’s workload after the second-year back fumbled in overtime against Washington the previous week. The Giants then split the first-half carries among all four running backs, hoping someone would take control of the job. But the group combined for just 34 rushing yards on 14 attempts. Harris had four carries for two yards, Tracy gained 18 yards on six attempts, and Singletary added 14 yards on four. Skattebo did not record a carry. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy, meanwhile, rushed for 26 yards on two attempts.

Harbaugh was blunt about the result after the loss, describing the ground game as “not very good, not very good.” He also explained what the coaching staff had been looking for from the rotation.

“All those guys were taking equal reps in the first half. We were trying to see who could make something happen, who could get a hot hand and earn it. Nobody has really taken the bull by the horns,” Harbaugh said, via Yahoo Sports. “One of those guys needs to step up. Somebody needs to step up and be the back. And none of those guys have done that yet. And when one of those guys steps up to be the back, then they’ll be the back.”

Harris, however, saw a problem with the approach. A running back needs repeated carries to read how a defense is reacting, identify openings and adjust his approach. Being removed after one or two attempts can make that process difficult.

“It’s hard to get in a rhythm with one or two plays,” Harris said after Sunday’s game. “The first couple runs will be like, ‘OK, how are they playing it?’ And then the next ones will be, ‘OK, this is how you attack it.’ But if you’re getting a play here and then get taken out for a series, there’s nothing you could do. That’s why I’m saying, ‘I don’t know.’ I’ve never been through none of this before.”

When asked about Harris’s comments on Monday, Harbaugh acknowledged the appeal of having a dependable lead back but insisted the current group had not earned that kind of role.

“I would love for us to be in that kind of a circumstance,” Harbaugh said, referring to a workhorse role like those held by Derrick Henry or Saquon Barkley. “Our run game hasn’t earned that yet, and none of those guys have.”

He added that the expectation applied across the roster: players had to make the most of the opportunities they received. “Make the most of those opportunities and you’re sure to get more opportunities,” Harbaugh said. “Do something.” He also acknowledged Harris’s point about rhythm, adding that it, too, had to be earned.

That exchange now takes on added significance given the timing of Harris’s release. The move was reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Tuesday, two days after Harris publicly questioned the rotation. However, neither the timing nor the comments alone establish that the Giants released him in retaliation. His production was also limited: he finished his five appearances in New York with 99 rushing yards on 31 carries, averaging 3.2 yards per attempt.

Harris’s NFL career began with the Steelers, who selected him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He rushed for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first four seasons in Pittsburgh before joining the Chargers in 2025. His time in Los Angeles was cut short by a torn Achilles in Week 3, following an offseason that had already been disrupted by a fireworks-related eye injury. He signed with the Giants on August 18, 2026, hoping to get his career back on track.

His brief stint in New York ends with the Giants still searching for a reliable lead back. Tracy, Singletary and Skattebo remain options, but Harbaugh’s challenge to the group has not changed: someone must establish himself as the player the offense can trust.

As for Harris, Washington Commanders, Philadephia Eagles, and Arizona Cardoinal could be some potential landing spots. The Commanders need early-down running back depth after placing Jacory Croskey-Merritt on injured reserve (IR) and dealing with injuries to their pass-catching options. The Eagles are frequently mentioned as a logical fit for veteran power-back depth in the NFC East division. And the Cardinals can be evaluated as a potential spot for veteran rushing reinforcement.

The Giants, on their part, could also explore adding a running back before the trade deadline, although no such move has been confirmed.