A bright spot in a down Pittsburgh Steelers season, RB Jaylen Warren has accomplished something done only one other time in franchise history. He is the second undrafted Steeler to record 1,000 yards from scrimmage, joining Willie Parker, who did so in three-straight seasons from 2005 to 2007.
Warren entered Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals with 952 yards from scrimmage, 652 on the ground and 300 through the air. A breakout player in his second season, he built upon where he left off as a rookie, his role expanding throughout the season. Warren played 40 percent of the offense’s snaps in Week One but in recent weeks has hovered closer 50 percent or more.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Warren managed to pick up a first down on a three-yard carry, pushing him over 1,000 total yards for the season. As of the time of this writing, Warren has eight carries for 24 yards and five receptions on six targets for 30 yards, putting him at 1,002 total scrimmage yards for the season with two games left to play.
Parker and Warren are distantly connected not just in years played but in lineage. The two are cousins with Warren joining Parker as runners shining in Pittsburgh. No other Steelers UDFA comes close to their marks, WR Dwight Stone next in line with 708 yards from scrimmage in 1993.
An explosive runner, Warren entered the day averaging 5.5 yards per carry, second in the NFL among all running backs and only behind Detroit Lions rookie Jahmyr Gibbs. Warren’s biggest moment came in Week 11 against the Cleveland, a 74-yard sprint to open up the second half. It was the longest touchdown run by a Steeler since Parker’s 75-yard gallop in Super Bowl XL.
Undrafted out of Oklahoma State by way of Utah State and Snow College, Warren took an unconventional path to the league. Signing with the Steelers because of their signing bonus, a whopping $12,000, Warren impressed during the 2022 summer, showing fearlessness in the team’s famous backs-on-‘backers drill and making the 53-man roster for Week One. By Week Five, he had assumed third-down duties, and he scored his first touchdown in Week 15, helping secure a win over the Carolina Panthers.
He parlayed that into a larger role this season, essentially splitting time with Najee Harris. Warren’s downhill and hard-nosed ability has made him a fan favorite, and he plays with a non-stop motor and effort. Harris and Warren are the first pair of Steelers with 120-plus carries in the same season since Rashard Mendenhall and Mewelde Moore in 2008.
With 47 receptions entering Saturday’s game, Warren still has an outside chance to lead Pittsburgh in catches. If so, he’d become the first Steelers running back to do so since John L. Williams in 1994. Though the Steelers’ offense has struggled throughout the year, Warren has consistently been a playmaker and someone who should have a vital role come 2024.
