The Pittsburgh Steelers’ second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills was ugly. To make matters worse, RB Jaylen Warren exited the game with a hamstring injury.
Fortunately, it was reportedly a minor injury, and Warren has since told the media he expects to be ready for the regular-season opener on Sept. 8.
Last Wednesday, he said the plan was to resume practicing on Monday, and that held true with a video of his workout surfacing on social media. He can be seen cutting and running during Monday’s practice in a video shared by 93.7 The Fan on X.
The Steelers’ offseason plan was centered on beefing up the offensive line and featuring the running game. Even going back to Art Rooney II’s comments following the 2023 season, he specifically mentioned the two-headed monster at running back with Najee Harris and Warren. They have formed quite a formidable duo.
Starting in Week 9, after some early-season struggles, the Steelers were the second-best rushing offense in the league with 1,452 yards over the final 10 games. Warren’s injury could have spelled trouble for the offense as he provides a lot of explosive plays and the ability to catch passes out of the backfield on third down. He is also a tremendous pass blocker picking up blitzes in the backfield.
Soft-tissue injuries can be tricky, but Warren being on schedule is a great sign for his availability in Week 1.
For what it’s worth, Warren appears to be wearing a compression sleeve on one of his legs. I am uncertain if it was the injured leg or if it is related, but that would be a reasonable assumption.
Arthur Smith’s run-first offense should give both Harris and Warren plenty of opportunities to be the focal point of the unit. And after earning more and more snaps over the last two seasons, Warren made it roughly an even split at times last season.
He is entering the final year of his contract and will be a restricted free agent next offseason, which means the Steelers can easily retain his services with a tender. That will likely be a second-round tender worth $4,978,000, per Over The Cap’s projections.
Warren told the media after practice that he was limited today, participating only in individual and special teams sessions. He also said that he will be a full-go for Wednesday’s practice and the season opener on Sunday, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor on X.
