Najee Harris hasn't played a snap since tearing his Achilles with the Chargers last season, but he's officially back on the market and getting real interest. Adam Schefter reported Monday that Harris is visiting the Giants, the kind of update that can move fast once a team starts kicking tires on a proven back.
The injury that's kept Harris out is a big deal to track here. He went down in Week 3 last season on a non-contact play against the Broncos, his left leg giving out as he planted with no one near him. It ended a run of remarkable durability — Harris had never missed a game in his career before that, and he'd rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his 4 seasons with the Steelers before signing a 1-year deal in LA.
Now he's a free agent testing the market again, and the timing lines up with a real need in New York. The Giants have Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy as their young core at running back, with veteran Devin Singletary also in the room, but Skattebo is dealing with a leg injury of his own after appearing in the team's preseason opener. That's created an opening for a veteran name to step in behind him.
The word spread fast once Schefter's report hit, with outlets and fantasy sites immediately pegging the Giants as a real landing spot rather than just a courtesy visit. Harris still carries name value from his Pittsburgh run, and a team needing a proven, physical runner while it waits on a younger back to heal is a fairly natural fit.
Nothing is signed yet — this is a visit, not a contract — but it's the first real momentum Harris has had on the free-agent market since the spring, when he took meetings with the Raiders and Seahawks. If the medicals check out and the Giants like what they see, this could move quickly given how thin their depth chart looks with Skattebo banged up.