Being a running back in the NFL is one tough job. Not only do tailbacks have to endure getting constantly punished physically on the field from all the hits and pounding from opposing defenses, but they also have to deal with the thought that their position is being viewed as more disposable than others. Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris opened up about that particular concern amid the recent release of Dalvin Cook from the Minnesota Vikings.

“Especially when they say that when you turn a certain age, you're out of years. Which is crazy,” Najee Harris told reporters at the minicamp (h/t Noah Strackbein of All Steelers Fan Nation).  “If you feel like you're able to play still, who is it to say that you can't? They don't know your body or have been in your position, they're just people riding behind the internet. They don't really know how you train. It's just people making assumptions which they know nothing about. So, to see people get released, especially in my position, it's like, what did they do? They're getting injured?

Najee Harris further stressed his surprise that a running back as productive and talented as Cook was stunningly cut by the Vikings. If it could happen to a running back of Cook's level, it can very well happen to anyone in the league.

“Dalvin Cook is coming off multiple 1,000-yard seasons. Is it money for the team, they gotta pay somebody? I don't know. It's eye-opening for me,” Harris said.

Najee Harris is entering his third season in the NFL. In 2022, he rushed for 1,034 yards and seven touchdowns on 272 carries.