Player: RB Jaylen Warren
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: Steelers RB Jaylen Warren signed his tender yesterday and also received a ringing endorsement from his head coach, Mike Tomlin. Overall, that makes for a pretty good day, even if it still offers no guarantees. His $5.346 million tender amount isn’t locked in until the start of the season, and a starting job certainly isn’t, either. But he is used to earning his way, and he will continue to do so, just with a higher ceiling of possibilities.
The draft may change the dynamics, but as we sit here today, Jaylen Warren is the Steelers’ starting running back. At least, HC Mike Tomlin vouched for Warren’s ability to shoulder that load if necessary, which isn’t the same thing. It gets you most of the way there, but somebody else might punch it across the goal line.
That’s more plausible than Warren’s free agent tender being similarly yanked. While I mentioned that the amount isn’t guaranteed, there is virtually no chance the Steelers would cut him. If anything, they would opt to work out a multi-year contract instead.
But we’re all waiting to see what the draft holds for the Steelers, and I’m sure that includes Jaylen Warren. They could draft a running back with any of their selections, from 21st overall all the way down. A first-round back isn’t the most likely, but do you really think they pass on Ashton Jeanty?
I do think it’s notable that in talking about Warren, Tomlin really hammered home last season’s injuries. Surely, he dealt with some limitations from his bumps and bruises, but to what extent? Unless they were more serious than is publicly known, I’m not compelled to make excuses.
The Steelers let Najee Harris walk this offseason, leaving Jaylen Warren at the top of the food chain. While they signed Kenneth Gainwell, I don’t think he moves the needle very far. They will bring in a rookie, with the only question being how early. Personally, I feel they will try to target a running back in the third round, the fourth at latest.
With the new league year underway and the Steelers turning their roster over, it’s once again time to “take stock”. It took a while, but we finally saw some of that change the team talked about after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract.
There is still a long way to go before we know what this Steelers team is going to look like. Once the dust settles on free agency, we turn our attention to the draft, and so on. What other moves might the team make, perhaps unexpected acquisitions or departures? If they traded for one player, they could certainly trade for another, or trade one away. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?
