Jaylen Warren is entering his third season and has reached the point at which the Pittsburgh Steelers jointly announced him as a starter with Najee Harris when the players came out of the tunnel in their preseason debut on Friday night. That doesn’t stop him from looking over his shoulder, prepared to stiff-arm the Turk if necessary.
A former college free agency who traversed the small-school college circuit, Jaylen Warren emerged as a training camp surprise during his rookie season in 2022. He stood out and stood up in backs-on-‘backers and never let up since then. Last year, he totaled over 1,000 yards from scrimmage along with Najee Harris as a powerful duo.
Yet he doesn’t just play with a chip on his shoulder. “It’s a whole box of Pringles and then some”, Warren said, via Teresa Varley for the Steelers’ website. “I have the whole stack, the whole box on my shoulder”.
Warren only logged eight offensive snaps in the Steelers’ preseason debut. He still managed three carries, though. While he totaled only 11 yards, that included a nine-yard gain on which he displayed the burst that has earned him an increased role in the offense.
The Steelers intend to feature the run game this season, offering a heavy dose of both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. While we don’t know the exact snap distribution, there is no doubt they will both play substantially. There are indications that Warren could see more work at the goal line, as well, as they specialize his game.
And yet he can’t seem to let his past go as barely-recruited small-school back. Warren fears the risk of complacency, so he makes sure to keep that can of Pringles stocked. I’m not sure what it would take for him to get complacent about his work, however, considering he genuinely seems to love the game. And he probably won’t mind having a fullback to help him, either.
Jaylen Warren played nearly 50 percent of the Steelers’ offensive snaps last season, logging 519. He rushed for 784 yards on 149 attempts, averaging 5.3 yards per rush. On top of that, he caught 61 passes for another 370 yards. He totaled four touchdowns, all rushing, though he did fumble four times.
If there is one area in which Warren can improve his game, it would be ball security. Four fumbles on 210 touches is a concern. Though he only fumbled once as a rookie, they had concerns about his ball security going back to that camp.
The one opportunity Warren can’t risk fumbling is playing in the NFL. Especially not this season, after which he has the opportunity to earn more money. Although he will only be a restricted free agent in 2025, he can see a substantial pay raise.
If he continues to perform as he has in the past, the Steelers will likely tag him with a second-round tender. As of now, Over the Cap projects the second-round tender to come in at roughly $5 million for 2025. That’s nearly double what Warren will have earned through his first three seasons, set to play for $985,000 in 2024.
