While Najee Harris in an arm sling gave us a slight scare, Jaylen Warren is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ current concern. The third-year running back is dealing with an injury that could keep him sidelined for weeks, described as a limp. Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests the injury bears watching, given the pattern.
“Warren’s injury is a little concerning”, Fittipaldo wrote in his latest chat session. “This new injury is not related to the hamstring injury that affected him in the first two weeks of the season. The only thing [Mike] Tomlin said about this injury is that Warren ‘has a limp’”.
“Two lower-body injuries for a running back is not ideal” for Warren”, Fittipaldo continued. “He is questionable to begin the week. After Harris, they do have Cordarrelle Patterson, and Jonathan Ward would be a candidate to get called up from the practice squad if Warren does not dress”.
Jaylen Warren suffered a hamstring injury during the Steelers’ preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. He missed the final preseason game but prepared himself for the start of the regular season. While they built him up gradually, he actually outsnapped Harris in Week 2, 32 to 30.
Partly due to the injury, the dynamic shifted this past Sunday. Najee Harris ended up with 40 snaps, the Steelers riding him in the fourth quarter. Jaylen Warren finished with 23 snaps, but Mike Tomlin pulled him after observing a limp.
Before exiting, Warren had only recorded three rushes against the Los Angeles Chargers, finishing with five yards. He also caught one pass for minus-four yards, so he netted one yard on four touches. Harris finished the game with 70 rushing yards on 18 attempts.
A week earlier, Warren did look effective, picking up 42 rushing yards on nine attempts plus two catches for 19. The Steelers like him a lot, as we all know, but they also need him to be healthy. He can’t be an effective contributor if he is limited by minor injuries.
While we don’t know the exact nature of this injury, a limp obviously implies the lower body. I’ve never limped after shutting my hand in a door, so it’s safe to say Warren did something to the lower half. That it is something different from his previous hamstring injury isn’t necessarily good or bad.
The Steelers did not place Jaylen Warren on the Reserve/Injured List, which is good news. That suggests they expect he may be able to play within the next four weeks, but will he be anywhere close to 100 percent by then?
As Fittipaldo, who would like compensation when we write about something he says, points out, the Steelers’ only other running back behind Harris on the 53-man roster is Cordarrelle Patterson. He did pick up 33 yards on just four attempts, so all is not lost. The Steelers also have some backs on the practice squad they can elevate should they be without Warren.
