The Pittsburgh Steelers loaded up in a major way along the offensive line in the 2024 NFL Draft. They added some key pieces in Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick to help the Steelers fully lean into the ground-and-pound style of offense that worked late in the year and fits new coordinator Arthur Smith quite well.
Those draft additions set things up quite well for the running back tandem of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren in the Steel City for at least the 2024 season. And following the Steelers’ decision to not pick up Harris’s fifth-year option last week, putting him in a contract year, things are really looking up for Warren, at least according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell.
In a piece for ESPN.com Wednesday morning looking at the biggest winners and losers after the NFL draft and roster fallout, Barnwell highlighted Warren as one of his biggest winners in the NFL due to the Steelers’ investment in the offensive line and the organization seemingly signaling that it made a mistake with Harris.
“The Steelers responded by taking some much-needed steps to improve the blocking in front of Warren. …Pittsburgh then declined Harris’ fifth-year option, a move that shouldn’t be surprising given that he has averaged 3.9 yards per carry as a pro,” Barnwell writes. “Harris has stayed healthy and hasn’t been given much help, but he has been outplayed by Warren in the same lineups. Warren moved into a timeshare as the 2023 season went along, and he could push ahead of Harris for starting duties in 2024.
“If he does, the 5-foot-8 back should enjoy more help than he has had in previous years.”
The decision to decline Harris’ fifth-year option for Harris doesn’t mean that the pecking order is all of a sudden going to change in Pittsburgh under new OC Arthur Smith.
Last season, there was nearly an even snap-count split between Harris and Warren, but Harris was the overwhelming workhorse in the running game for the Steelers, receiving 255 carries to Warren’s 149. That should again be the split this season as Warren is much better in a change-of-pace rol, rather than being the true lead back and the bell cow like Harris.
Warren has had a great deal of success as that change-of-pace guy. As Barnwell pointed out, Warren has generated 170 rush yards over expectation over the past two seasons, which is 207 more than the Harris has produced with more than twice as many rush attempts in that same span. ESPN’s Mina Kimes even called Warren one of the “best backs in football.”
The undrafted free agent has ripped off some big plays in that role, too, while Harris has been more of the three-yards-and-a-cloud-of dust runner who wears defenses down during his time in Pittsburgh, though he was one of the top running backs in football last season from an explosive-runs standpoint.
But there is no denying that Warren is a winner in the post-draft fallout. The Steelers beefed up their offensive line in a major way and declined Harris’ fifth-year option, putting him in the final year of his rookie deal. Warren is a restricted free agent after the season, but he’s not going anywhere, whereas this is likely it for Harris in the Black and Gold.
That will open things for Warren even more in 2025 and beyond, presumably. For this season, that remains to be seen, but things are seemingly aligning for Warren to have a bright future in Pittsburgh.
