The Steelers are now in Latrobe at Saint Vincent College for the 2023 installment of training camp. They are coming off of a 9-8 season during which they broke in their new quarterback, Kenny Pickett, finishing the year strong by winning seven of their last nine but coming up short of the postseason.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year.
From the first day of training camp to the last, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered, including several battles for starting roles. Which veterans might be vulnerable to release? Who are the sleepers who will emerge in camp and make a run at a roster spot? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: Does RB Jaylen Warren have enough juice to be the ‘lightning’ to Najee Harris’ ‘thunder’?
‘Thunder and lightning’ tends to be a natural nickname to give a pair of high-contribution running backs—but typically they have sufficiently varying skillsets, with one a heavier, bruising back and the other more reliant upon speed.
Since Jaylen Warren broke off a 62-yard touchdown run on Saturday night, beating a safety to the end zone, we’ve begun hearing the ‘lightning’ talk for him as the complement to Najee Harris, who has never been mistaken for a sprinter.
Not that I’m convinced that it matters in that sense, but does Warren have enough juice to be that ‘lightning’ change of pace? Or is he simply the other running back who is going to get a lot of work, whatever his skill set might be?
Warren ran a 4.55-second 40-yard dash during the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, which is a 10th of a second slower than a purported time Harris ran outside of the Combineand Pro Day circuit, so then should be taken with a grain of salt. But football games are not played on a track.
I will say in his favor that Warren looked like he had some juice on that long-distance scamper, yet I don’t find that he will ever be mistaken for a Chris Johnson—let alone his own cousin and former Steeler, “Fast” Willie Parker.
Perhaps his playing speed is better than his timed speed, as that long run could possibly indicate. Offensive coordinator Matt Canada talked about watching him consistently finish runs during training camp.
But will he be the back who adds the explosive plays to the mix? Even if he doesn’t run a 4.3, can he break off a sufficient amount of 20-yard runs? In this millennium, the only Steelers running backs with 25-plus explosive runs not named Willie Parker are Le’Veon Bell and Rashard Mendenhall, both with 28. James Conner had 17. The next closest post-Parker? Harris and Isaac Redman, tied with seven. Warren did have three last season.
