After another productive season, Pittsburgh Steelers RB Jaylen Warren is starting to receive his flowers. Whenever the ball is in Warren’s hands, something big could happen. There’s no better example of this than his 74-yard touchdown run against the Cleveland Browns.
In his first two seasons, Warren has been ultra-efficient, ninth-best since 2022 at 5.1 yards per carry for running backs with at least 150 rushing yards. This high YPC number is stronger than the likes of running backs Christian McCaffery and Nick Chubb. When diving deeper into it, Warren’s numbers look all the more impressive, given his volume. Of the players on that list, Warren has the most games played and second-most carries.
Due to how efficient Warren has been, and despite him seeing fewer carries than Steelers starting running back Najee Harris, PFF listed Warren as the Steelers’ “secret superstar.”
“His efficiency and explosiveness as a ball carrier made him one of the most dangerous running backs in the NFL in 2023,” wrote Thomas Valentine. “He averaged more missed tackles forced per attempt than any other running back and also had the 12th-most explosive runs in the NFL. He’ll only feature more in the Steelers offense next season too.”
Warren had a strong rookie season coming out of the gates as a surprise undrafted free agent in 2022, but in Year Two he took his play to another level. Warren averaged an impressive 5.3 yards per carry, seventh-best this year in running backs with at least 150 rushing yards. He also scored four rushing touchdowns and ran for 784 yards. Warren is also an asset in the passing game as a high-level pass protector and a good receiver, catching 61 passes for 370 yards.
Going into next season, Warren’s role will likely continue to grow as it is extremely hard to keep him off the field. Najee Harris’ bell cow duties will keep the defense’s attention, but there’s a growing respect league-wide for Warren, who is capable of making the game-changing play.
Entering his third season, Warren isn’t really a secret anymore. But that won’t make him any easier for NFL defenses to stop.
