Najee Harris ran with passion during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons, but there wasn’t much action out of Jaylen Warren. Maybe that’s due to how well Harris was running. Cordarrelle Patterson did get four carries and compare that to Warren’s two carries, and it feels like that hamstring injury could still be bothering him.
In his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Tomlin was asked if Warren is healthy.
“That’s a slippery slope, in the football world,” Tomlin said via the team’s YouTube channel. “He’s healthy enough, certainly.”
That doesn’t exactly sound like a ringing endorsement of Warren’s health. Warren suffered a hamstring injury during the Steelers’ second preseason game, and at the time, it was uncertain if he would be healthy for Week 1. He made good progress though, being available to play against the Falcons.
However, it wouldn’t have been very different if he was inactive. To go along with his two carries for seven yards, the only other touches Warren had on offense were two catches for 13 yards. Not the kind of day you would expect from the other half of the Steelers’ two-pronged rushing attack.
Tomlin says Warren is healthy enough, so while he can suit up for games, he might not be ready for his usual workload. Hamstring injuries can linger, and the Steelers have shown that they’re willing to be patient to allow players to heal. If Harris continues to run like he does, it’s probably for the best to not push Warren.
We’ll see how the division of labor lines up with the Steelers’ backfield in Week 2. Harris will likely get the lion’s share of carries once again, but maybe Warren’s usage will ramp up slightly. If he’s behind Patterson on carries again, that might be a true sign that the Steelers are going to take their time with his injury.
Players will deal with more bumps and bruises associated with the game as the season progresses too. If this injury occurred later in the year, and the Steelers were fighting for a playoff spot, maybe Warren would see more work. For now, ramping up Warren’s workload as he gets closer to full health is wise. Better to not lose him for a longer stretch of time.
