The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the NFL’s best 1-2 backfield duos in Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. But for Maurice Jones-Drew, there’s a clear No. 1 and a clear No. 2. In the final version of his RB index ranking the top 72 backs in football, Harris finished well ahead of Warren. Harris came in at the No. 12 spot, while Warren finished at No. 27.
On Harris, Jones-Drew wrote:
“Harris is the definition of a workhorse back. He gets a ton of carries and wears down the defense, allowing him and his backfield mate, Jaylen Warren, to reap the benefits late in games. Harris registered 1,000 rushing yards for the third straight season and scored a career-high eight rushing TDs, with seven of those scores coming in the back half of the season.”
Though Harris spent the season in a true committee as opposed to the workhorse back he was as a rookie, Harris was as efficient as he’s ever been. He ended the year with a career-high 4.1 yards per carry, while his run success rate was also the best it’s ever been, ending the year at 48.2 percent. Harris used the regular season finale to go over the 1,000-yard mark, ending the year with 1,035 yards. He became the first back in Steelers’ history to rush for 1,000 yards in his first three years and the first NFL player to do so since Alfred Morris in 2012-2014.
Pittsburgh will have to decide whether to pick up Harris’ fifth-year option by the May deadline. But it’s likely the team will exercise the option, guaranteeing his contract for 2025 before becoming a free agent.
Though there was a gap between the two, Warren still cracked the top 30 of Jones-Drew’s list.
“The Steelers were one of the league’s top rushing attacks down the stretch; from Week 9 on, they ranked fifth with 145.2 rush yards per game and tied for second with 13 rush TDs. Warren’s emergence in the second half of the season played a big role in that success, but he was also an essential piece in the pass game, with his 61 receptions being the second-most on the team, behind only WR George Pickens (63).”
A lack of volume may have hurt Warren, who arguably should’ve finished a little higher on this list. A well-rounded back who can run, block, and catch, he served as a consistent sparkplug with burst and power. After making the team as an UDFA in 2022, Warren broke out with 784 yards and four rushing touchdowns in 2023. He also finished with 61 receptions, right behind WR George Pickens for the team lead. Warren’s 5.3 yards per carry was one of football’s top marks, while his success rate sat just under 50 percent.
With both under contract for 2024, the Steelers should continue to lean on their “two-headed monster” as Art Rooney II recently referred to it. Pittsburgh needs a strong ground game to have a successful offense, and they have two excellent backs to accomplish that mission.
The top-ranked back in the league was the San Francisco 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey, an MVP candidate.
