Player: RB Jaylen Warren
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: Since the Steelers drafted RB Kaleb Johnson, Jaylen Warren has found himself on the back burner in terms of adoration. Once a fan favorite, he is now witnessing a shift to the rookie third-round pick—if he notices at all. But he could notice on the field, potentially, if the Steelers give Johnson many of his carries.
This offseason, the Steelers chose to move on from Najee Harris, leaving Jaylen Warren to take over the starting role. At least, that seemed to be the plan, even if the expectation always was that they would draft a running back. Once they did, in the third round, and it was Kaleb Johnson, the narrative began shifting.
Suddenly, Johnson is the golden boy, the future. Even beat writers are beginning to say that the Steelers will not re-sign Warren next season. I’m not sure why they wouldn’t considering they are willing to pay him over $5 million this year, but, whatever.
Mind you, this stock report is based on exterior speculation, at least primarily. The Steelers have really raved about Kaleb Johnson and how he is basically an ideal fit for what they want to do. But Jaylen Warren is still the more experienced, more complete player, and is still talented.
It doesn’t help Warren that he is coming off a disappointing season, at least by his standards. On 120 carries, he only rushed for 511 yards with one touchdown. He still averaged 4.3 yards per carry, but that’s half a yard below his career average.
At the same time, Warren still posted a 50-percent success rate, with 310 receiving yards on 38 receptions. And he played through most of the season dealing with injuries in one form or another, missing two games. There is ample reason to believe that he should be more effective this season than a year ago.
But I think it really depends on Kaleb Johnson how much Jaylen Warren plays, at least on run downs. The Steelers view Johnson as ready to play now, and that means carrying the ball. Warren has always shared the load, so this won’t be anything new for him. But it doesn’t necessarily appear he is taking a step forward in career advancement, either.
Or maybe Johnson isn’t ready to contribute much, and Warren has 300 carries for 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns.
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. The dust is settled on both free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft. 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?
