Thanks to the 62-yard jaunt through the Buffalo Bills’ defense Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium, second-year running back Jaylen Warren has sparked a seemingly silly, needless debate on social media regarding him and third-year running back Najee Harris for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It’s well-known that Harris isn’t a home run hitter. It’s not his style. He had just eight 15-plus yard runs last season on 272 carries. That’s who he was in college, too, so it’s not anything new for the Steelers.
Yet Warren’s run against the Bills has created this debate with many in the media in the city of Pittsburgh trying to make the case that Warren is the better running back than Harris and should be the Steelers’ top back over the former first-round pick.
Andrew Fillipponi, a 93.7 The Fan co-host on the PM Show with Chris Mueller, has pushed that belief, and on Monday he raised the question to highly regarded NFL analyst Brian Baldinger of NFL Network and Audacy.
Baldinger, to his credit, didn’t exactly jump into the mix and say one way or another which way he leans regarding the two running backs in the Steel City. The former NFL offensive lineman was quick to credit Warren for being about to “do just about anything you want a running back to do.”
“You might be right. I mean, I think I did a number of videos last year on Jaylen and just the pop that he has, the power, he is excellent in pass protection. But I saw him in Latrobe last year and he jumped off the page at me,” Baldinger said to Fillipponi and Mueller, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “Then you start asking Andy Weidl or Omar [Khan], okay Oklahoma State for a year and all this stuff about him, I don’t care. Like, the guy’s got big, thick, strong calves. That’s kind of the modern-day running back is that size, you not the tallest guy, but powerful. Built compact. Looks like he could do just about anything you want a running back to do.”
That seems to be the general consensus, and it doesn’t have to be about Jaylen Warren vs. Najee Harris.
Since the Steelers signed Warren out of Oklahoma State as an undrafted free agent and watched him develop into their No. 2 running back, the duo of Harris and Warren has been a good one for Pittsburgh. They bring two different styles and skill sets to the table, that much is clear.
Warren is a very good pass protector and showed great hands throughout his rookie season. He’s also shot out of a cannon once the football is in his hands and provides a serious change of pace for the Steelers offense overall in the run game. His triple-explosive run against the Bills was proof of that.
“I just believe in Jaylen Warren period. Always have since the moment I saw him,” Baldinger said regarding Warren, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan.
But praising Warren for his abilities and the remarkable story that he is as an undrafted free agent and former community college running back before one season at Oklahoma State doesn’t mean that Harris needs to be torn down in the process.
Baldinger was quick to point out the Harris was slowed last season with the foot injury. Some can read that as an excuse, but it’s legit. Playing through a Lisfranc injury is no joke. Neither is playing with a steel plate in your cleat, both of which Harris did last season.
He’s a bigger, stronger, more physical running back who is a powerful plodder and fits what the Steelers want in the run game. Warren is a great complement to that style with his own. It’s a strong combination overall.
The Steelers are fortunate they found a guy as talented as Warren, because it allows them to take some of the load off of Harris, keeping him fresh overall. The presence of Warren gives defenses something else to think about, too, making Pittsburgh’s rushing attack that much harder to not only gameplan for but deal with, too.
It’s a great problem — and I use that term loosely — for the Steelers to have. It’s not either/or. It’s both when it comes to the Steelers running backs. Both can do it all and complement each other well. That’s all that matters.
