The Pittsburgh Steelers offense features a very interesting group of weapons. While they employ no true offensive superstar, the team should get at least a baseline of production from WRs Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, RB Najee Harris and TE Pat Freiermuth. Heck, even WR Allen Robinson II should be good for at least a couple hundred yards and 30-40 or so receptions, despite being a bit past his prime.
But for the Steelers offense to move from average to a strong point, they need an X-Factor. Someone to step up beyond the usual guys and make an impact.
Who could that be in 2023? While guys like TE Darnell Washington and even Robinson himself could be in this conversation, it comes down to two main guys for me in RB Jaylen Warren and WR Calvin Austin III. Let’s take a look at the case for each of them.
RB Jaylen Warren
The Case For:
I’ve written about this before, but Najee Harris had a historically high workload in his first two NFL seasons. Coincidentally, the Steelers don’t really have a solid third running back on the roster at the moment.
Enter Jaylen Warren. While he didn’t get drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, he has quickly established himself as the clear number two in the Pittsburgh backfield. As the season went on, and as Kenny Pickett began to develop and progress, Warren was more and more involved in the offense. Pickett could certainly use a security blanket in year two, and there might be a lot of check downs to Warren in the cards this season.
With Warren likely serving as the team’s third-down back, the snaps could be there for him to make a real impact.
The Case Against:
I’ve talked myself into Jaylen Warren having a huge year over the course of the off-season, but the hype train might be leaving the station a little prematurely.
He was good last year, but his stats weren’t anything crazy. He didn’t obtain 600 total yards from scrimmage and was held under two receptions per game last year.
Warren reasonably could get more touches this season. However, the meta around NFL running backs seems to be forming into getting as much as you can out of them while you still have them for cheap. Therefore, I could see Harris’ workload continue to stay high over the next two seasons, forcing Warren into a true number two role instead of a 1B role with a chance to make any major impact.
WR Calvin Austin III
The Case For:
The case for Calvin Austin is pretty simple. Speed. He ran a 4.32 at the combine last year, propelling him to be taken in the fourth round by the Steelers.
Another thing going for Austin is versatility. If he looks good at camp, the Steelers will find a way to get him on the field this season. He can return punts, you can put him out wide, or even run some jet sweep action with him. He’s electric with the ball in his hands, all he needs is the opportunity.
With a lack of explosive plays in Pittsburgh’s offense recently, Austin could be the guy to bring some splash and help flip the field and take the top off the defense.
The Case Against:
Jaylen Warren didn’t have crazy numbers last year, but at least he had numbers. Austin missed the entire season with a foot injury, and we haven’t seen him really showcase his impressive speed against NFL defenses.
Austin only stands at 5-9, and it’s very possible his body just isn’t set to withstand the wear and tear of an NFL season. We just haven’t seen him in any sort of NFL game action, so it’s difficult to truly say what he could bring.
The difference between Austin and a guy like Dri Archer is that Austin is a natural receiver and is used to playing the position. But everyone’s bigger in the NFL, and if Austin can’t handle the size he’ll be facing, he could struggle.
In this case, Austin may be used more as a decoy than a threat. But I suppose the idea that he could take off the top of the defense at any moment is an asset in itself and could be looked at as an X-Factor in its own right.
