Coming into the 2023 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers felt they had an identity offensively, which was leaning heavily on a run game they had invested quite a bit in over the previous few years.
It took a bit longer than the Steelers might have liked, but Pittsburgh definitely found its identity with the run game thanks to a dynamic 1-2 punch of running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. The two worked quite well together, giving the Steelers a formidable duo that flat-out took over games at times, which is quite remarkable in an offense that had major issues throughout the season.
On an offense that had a dark cloud over it for much of the year, the duo of Harris and Warren was a bright ray of sunshine.
Now that the season is behind us, it’s a time for reflection and analysis, and that centers on my Steelers positional grades season review. Today, we’ll look at the running backs, taking an individual look at the duo that carried the load for the Steelers, that being Harris and Warren.
In case you missed it, I reviewed the Steelers’ quarterbacks here.
Najee Harris: Grade — B-
Stats: 17 games (17 starts), 255 carries, 1,035 yards (4.1 YPC), 8 TDs, 29 receptions, 170 yards
Three years, three 1,000-yard seasons for Harris, who made Steelers history doing so by eclipsing 1,000 yards in three straight seasons to open his career. Franco Harris didn’t do it, Rashard Mendenhall didn’t do it, and neither did Willie Parker. Harris got off to a bit of a slow start, struggling to generate much in the run game and getting outplayed by Warren. But the fact remains that Harris got better as the season progressed and really became a hammer late in the season.
Though he’s not viewed as an explosive running back, Harris had 24 10-plus-yard runs on the season, per Pro Football Focus. Ironically, that was tied for seventh in the NFL with Warren and Seattle’s Kenneth Walker III. Harris also graded as the 12th-best running back on the season from PFF at 78.1.
At times, Harris struggled with his vision and his consistency, but something clicked after the bye week, leading to Harris taking off. He ran hard all season and helped the Steelers set the tone offensively. Harris won an “Angry Runs” scepter from Good Morning Football on the season, tying with Derrick Henry for the most-ever all-time, too.
Based on my own charting for Steelers Depot, Harris finished with 64 forced missed tackles. He finished his third season in impressive fashion, recording two straight 100-yard games in the final two weeks of the season, helping the Steelers get into the playoffs. Now, he’s in line for a fifth-year option from the Steelers this offseason and could be in line for a contract extension as a key leader moving forward.
Jaylen Warren: Grade — A-
Stats: 17 games (0 starts), 149 carries, 784 yards (5.3 YPC), 4 TDs, 61 receptions, 370 yards
After putting together a strong rookie season, emerging as a bottom-of-the-depth-chart undrafted free agent in training camp of 2022, Warren became a major contributor this season, at times pushing into a 1A role with Harris, becoming a fan favorite in the process.
Warren is a bowling ball with legs. He runs incredibly hard, refuses to go down on first contact and really fights for every blade of grass, much like Harris. The duo really personifies the Steelers’ tradition at the running back position when it comes to how they run and fight through contact constantly.
Warren tied Harris for most the 10-plus-yard runs this season with 24 and graded as the 11th-best running back from PFF on the season, one spot ahead of Harris, at 78.6 overall. He also is one of the best pass-blocking running backs in football, consistently dishing out punishment in pass protection, even drawing some puzzling fines along the way.
As a receiver, Warren finished second on the team with the 61 receptions, just two behind George Pickens. The only real knock on Warren right now is his ball security, which reared its ugly head in Week 18 against the Ravens when he fumbled twice. He finished with four fumbles on the season.
Still, it was a tremendous season overall for Warren. The future looks incredibly bright for the former UDFA as a great half of a dynamic duo with Harris.
