Like Jaylen Warren, the Pittsburgh Steelers are right where we are: sitting at home being mad. Although they managed to make the playoffs in 2023, they lost in the first round. It has now been seven years without a postseason victory, the longest drought in franchise history. The question is what to do next.
The first step is always taking stock of what happened and what is left. That’s part of the exit meeting process, in which coaches meet with each player. They discuss the season and their expectations moving forward—and potentially their role within it.
While we might not know all the details about what goes on between head coach Mike Tomlin and his players during these exit meetings, we do know how we would conduct those meetings if they were let up to us. So here are the Depot’s exit meetings for the Steelers’ roster following the 2023 season.
Player: Jaylen Warren
Position: Running Back
Experience: 2 Years
Jaylen Warren might be the most popular Steeler right now, short of Mason Rudolph. He’s been a fan favorite since the first day he put on pads. Outside of a fumble or two here and there, he’s done nothing to diminish his folk hero status since then.
Indeed, Warren is one of their modern-day undrafted success stories with plenty of time to write his story. He has had the coaching staff talking about working to find him more playing time for the majority of his career.
And they have. He doubled his touches from 2022 to 2023, with 105 as a rookie and 210 last season. After recording 593 yards from scrimmage with one touchdown, he continued the same trajectory. With 784 rushing yards and 270 receiving, he totaled 1,154 yards from scrimmage with four touchdowns in 2023.
He did fumble four times, which is a minor concern. His most significant fumble proved infamous. Just after the Steelers didn’t get the call on a would-be touchdown by Diontae Johnson, Warren fumbled on the next play. Johnson gave little effort on the play, including after the ball popped loose, and that set off a firestorm of criticism.
Warren played 519 snaps last year in a close one-two combination with Najee Harris. He often sees the majority of the snaps in obvious passing situations as part of that role. A trusted pass protector, he also drew 73 targets in the passing game. Though they rarely succeeded, he became the designated target on 3rd and long.
With Arthur Smith as the team’s new offensive coordinator, he could benefit as much as anybody. Smith has a reputation for delivering on the ground. While he had Derrick Henry in Tennessee, he platooned effectively in Atlanta.
Outside of ball security, I don’t have many notes for Warren. He can be more consistent and improve on avoiding negative plays. About one-sixth of his carries picked up no yards or lost yards. I do wonder what his optimal workload is. Could he thrive as a featured back, or does he operate best rotationally? We’re not likely to find out for at least another year.
