Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris sat out overtime of Sunday's victory over the Cincinnati Bengals due to a foot injury, but he doesn't expect to miss any time heading into Week 2.
Harris told Adam Schein on SiriusXM's Mad Dog Sports Radio on Tuesday that he plans to be ready to face the New England Patriots in the Steelers' home-opener on Sunday.
"I'm good .. just got dinged up, nothing too crazy," Harris said. "The plan is I should be ready to play. I should be back practicing. Today's our off day, so it's good we got today off just to let it heal for another day and get ready to go this weekend."
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, however, cautioned on Tuesday that the team will need to see how Harris performs through the week before committing to Sunday.
"Naj is really optimistic, it's good to be young," Tomlin told reporters. "He appears to be in position, but he's going to have to practice and prove his readiness. That's just my perspective. He's a talented guy, but he's a young guy, and I'm going to want to see some work from him. So we're going to take it day-by-day and see where that leads us in terms of his participation and quality of that participation. As always, we'll simple do what's right for him and for us."
Harris took 10 carries for 23 yards and caught two passes for three yards and a TD in Sunday's win in Cincy before exiting the contest.
The bulldozing back dealt with a Lisfranc sprain during training camp. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Harris's latest foot injury didn't appear to be major. Tomlin, though, told reporters that Harris' injury did not appear to be an aggravation of his preseason ailment.
Harris' comments to Schein on Tuesday underscore the belief that it's a minor injury.
"I'll be back at practice this week, and then I will be playing this weekend," he said.
The hope is that the foot injury doesn't spiral into a weekly concern for Harris and the Steelers this early in the season.
With Harris dealing with a foot injury, the Steelers could siphon some of his workload in the coming weeks, increasing reps for rookie Jaylen Warren.
Tomlin told reporters Tuesday he was encouraged by Warren's first NFL action.
"He didn't urinate down his leg, that's a great place to begin," Tomlin said. "That's why he's gone undrafted to carving out a role for himself. No circumstance has been too big for him. He was competitive on Sunday. Good for him, good for us."
