The Pittsburgh Steelers slapped RB Jaylen Warren with a second-round tender this year at north of $5 million. While that isn’t guaranteed until the start of the season, it’s hard to imagine him going anywhere. Provided that is true, it’s a more than reasonable salary for an RB1A.
Yet will that be his role? Because even those who cover the team can’t seem to agree, Gerry Dulac recently saying he expects a rookie to be the primary ball carrier with Jaylen Warren supporting him. That is a take not shared by Mark Kaboly, who basically said the opposite.
Asked if the Steelers are comfortable with Warren as the lead back or if they will spend a high pick on the position to carry or share the load, Kaboly started by saying that both things can be true. “There is no doubt that Warren goes into the season as the starter”, he then stated.
That seems like a broadly declarative statement, which is odd given how often Kaboly hedges his answers. To say that there is no doubt Jaylen Warren enters the season as the Steelers’ starter leaves…well, no room for doubt. But what if the Steelers are to draft Ashton Jeanty, for example?
“That doesn’t mean they won’t address the position in the first round of the draft if a certain person is still on the board, coupled with a handful of others off the board’, Kaboly added, while at no point suggesting that even a first-round rookie might start over Warren for the Steelers. “Depth is a huge issue. I am not sure Kenny Gainwell is a guy who can manage 20 carries per game if Warren goes down. At worst, they will add a veteran the week after the draft”.
Of course, there is no guarantee that Ashton Jeanty will be available—indeed, more likely, he won’t be. There are other backs the Steelers might draft in the first round, like Omarion Hampton. But with no second-round pick, even in a deep class for backs, Warren might beat out a third rounder.
Then there is the discussion of semantics, and what exactly a starter is. Might the Steelers start Jaylen Warren and play him more snaps, yet have a rookie take more touches? Might Warren “go into the season” as the starter, but shortly thereafter cede his pole position?
The more pragmatic question, of course, is when the Steelers plan to draft a running back. If they did have Jeanty sitting at 21, and some other players are not available, would they draft him? It’s worth considering that Warren will be an unrestricted free agent after this season, too.
A former college free agent, Jaylen Warren has 1,674 rushing yards for the Steelers on 346 carries. He also has 894 receiving yards with six touchdowns. These aren’t exactly numbers that knock your socks off, but it’s good production per touch. Well, maybe not for scoring, but the Steelers generally gave Najee Harris the scoring opportunities.
