As an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State and largely buried on the depth chart entering training camp last summer, Jaylen Warren was an afterthought for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Now, after earning his way onto the 53-man roster and grabbing ahold of the No. 2 job behind incumbent starter Najee Harris, Warren is viewed as a potential breakout running back entering Year Two, according to NFL.com analyst Kevin Patra.
Warren was one of 12 running backs entering Year Two highlighted by Patra as potential breakout running backs. Warren landed in the “Wild Card” portion of Patra’s article with the likes of Las Vegas’ Zamir White, Los Angeles’ Kyren Williams, and Dallas’ Malik Davis.
“After going undrafted, Warren earned a spot as Najee Harris’ backup last season, showing he can be a tough runner with some juice,” Patra writes highlighting Warren for NFL.com. “Warren’s play down the stretch (6.2 yards per carry in the final two games) portends an uptick in usage in 2023 behind Harris, especially if Pittsburgh attempts to curtail the wear on its top runner. While Warren’s upside is capped as the backup right now, should injury strike Harris, Warren would be in line to become the team’s primary ball carrier.”
Even after being buried on the depth chart early in his tenure, Warren scratched and clawed his way onto the roster. Through hard work, consistency and the ability to hold up rather well in pass protection he rocketed up the depth chart and earned the No. 2 job behind Harris, providing the Steelers with a dependable 1-2 punch in the backfield.
Warren often found himself on the field in passing situations when he could catch the ball out of the backfield in large part due to his work in pass protection. Warren was rather good in that area of the game as an undrafted free agent, providing some serious toughness and physicality in front of quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett.
At times last season, Warren was the spark plug the Steelers offense needed, which enabled him to really take over as the No. 2 behind Harris, working his way into the third-down back role starting in Week 5.
Warren’s rookie season was one that the Steelers desperately needed, solving a long-term issue in identifying a No. 2 running back. Warren’s burst onto the scene forced head coach Mike Tomlin to move away from his old-school “workhorse back” nature of taking a 220-plus pounder and running him into the ground, like he’d done in the past with Le’Veon Bell, James Conner, and Harris.
As a “Wild Card” breakout running back candidate, Warren would unfortunately need an injury in front of him to Harris to truly become that breakout running back, garnering the number of touches needed to become that breakout. Nobody wants to see injury lead to a prominent role, especially Warren, but it would afford him the chance to prove himself once again.
Of course, if the Steelers really, truly lean into that bully-ball style they seem to be building towards, maybe there are more than 77 carries and 28 receptions available for Warren. Added touches should lead to added production. If that happens, maybe a breakout occurs.
For now though, he remains a very viable No. 2 option behind Harris, giving the Steelers a true 1-2 punch that can be relied on at the position moving forward.
