Every NFL team has its star players captivate fans on a weekly basis. Guys like OLB T.J. Watt, S Minkah Fitzpatrick, and RB Najee Harris can be seen as a few of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ star players. They often capture the spotlight as they score touchdowns, get sacks, and make interceptions when the team needs it most.
However, there are several players on Pittsburgh’s roster that go unnoticed by most of the general public despite their meaningful contributions to the team. Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated recently published an article highlighting every AFC team’s most underrated player heading into the 2023 season. He listed RB Jaylen Warren as the player on Pittsburgh’s roster that deserves more recognition for his efforts.
“Over 77 carries last year, Warren flashed a bit of young Austin Ekeler,” Orr said about Warren. “He is an excellent receiver out of the backfield, nabbing 28 of his 33 catch opportunities. And while Harris is clearly the better pass protector, there is a value in having a second dual-threat option out of the backfield who, at 5’8″, provides a drastically different sight line for defenders. Pittsburgh’s backfield is almost like facing a baseball team that is allowed to change pitchers on a batter-to-batter basis. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Warren’s workload increase.”
Comparing Jaylen Warren to Austin Ekeler may be a stretch, but both backs are former undrafted free agents who have smaller, compact frames, and contribute as runners as well as pass catchers out of the backfield. Warren ended up being an undrafted gem for Pittsburgh in 2022, carrying the ball 77 times for 379 yards (4.9 YPC) and a TD while catching 28 passes for 214 yards. Warren emerged as the team’s second-string RB behind Harris last season, becoming the team’s third-down back who worked in pass-catching situations as well as representing himself valiantly in pass protection.
Warren also contributed a fair amount on special teams, playing 31% of the snaps, according to Pro Football Reference. He was a great change-of-pace back to Harris, providing more juice as a runner as he ran with a blend of wiggle and power as a smaller back built low to the ground that could bounce off tackles.
Warren made far more of an impact than anyone imagined he would when he signed as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State last spring. Heading into 2023, Warren figures to be a key member of the offense as the #2 RB who rotates in when Harris needs a breather as well as contribute more on third downs as well as in passing situations. Having accumulated nearly 600 yards of total offense as a rookie, perhaps we could see Warren’s production take a step forward this season, especially if the Steelers commit to being a run-heavy team like they’ve pointed to throughout the offseason.
