Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 season is getting underway after the team finished above .500 but failing to make the postseason last year, we turn our attention to the next chapter of Steelers football and everything that entails. One thing that it means is that some stock evaluations are going to start taking on more specific contexts as we get into the season, reflecting more immediate plusses and minus rather than trends over long periods. The nature of the evaluation, whether short-term or long-term, will be noted in the reasoning section below.
Player: RB Jaylen Warren
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: The second-year running back has continued to deliver quality reps regardless of the quantity that he receives on any given week. Last Sunday, he totaled nearly 100 yards from scrimmage on 17 touches while scoring his fourth touchdown of the year and delivering several key blocks in pass protection.
I would say that there isn’t a more popular player on the Pittsburgh Steelers than RB Jaylen Warren, but I think QB Mason Rudolph could be giving him a run for his money over the past couple weeks. There’s always OLB T.J. Watt, but he’s taken for granted at this point, even as the team’s MVP once again.
There’s a little something more to pulling for an underdog who succeeds, though, and Warren is certainly that. While not every one of his games has been great, his effort is consistent, and his talent has been evident.
That proved true once again last Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks as the Steelers’ ground game dominated the home team. While teammate Najee Harris won the awards this week, Warren was a big contributor as well.
In all, he rushed for another 75 yards on only 13 carries, which included his fourth touchdown of the season. He was also one of only four players targeted in the passing game, catching all four passes thrown his way for another 23 yards, coming up just shy of his fourth game with 100-plus yards from scrimmage of the season. At 98 yards, nevertheless, it was tied for the fourth-highest total of his career.
With Warren, it has never been just about his ability to run the ball with physicality and surprising explosiveness, though. He first garnered attention for his prowess in pass protection. He has been the team’s primary running back in passing situations for most of his career now and has repeatedly reminded us why.
He threw a number of key blocks in pass protection this past week, including on the big late completion to WR George Pickens. He also got out in front on a Pickens jet sweep earlier in the game, so clearly Warren meant it when he said he would block for Pickens.
