The Pittsburgh Steelers shook up their running back room this offseason, moving on from four-year starting back Najee Harris, and selecting Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Harris rushed for 1,000 yards each of his four seasons in Pittsburgh, but his efficiency wasn’t up to par and he displayed a lack of explosiveness at times the past few seasons. With a new quarterback in town as well, the only returning piece that will feature in the run game next season is Jaylen Warren.
After a stellar season as a secondary back in 2023, highlighted by 784 yards on the ground and 61 receptions, Warren took a bit of a step back in 2024. In his defense, he was battling several injuries while dealing with the growing pains of a completely new offense.
This year, the Steelers will not only need Warren to be healthy, but they’ll need him to set the tone as the lead back in a run-first offense. Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton listed five running backs particularly poised for a breakout season in 2025, and Jaylen Warren made the cut.
“Head coach Mike Tomlin ‘certainly’ believes Warren can handle more touches,” wrote Moton. “The fourth-year running back has ‘no doubt’ that he could do it. At 5’8″ and 215 pounds, Warren doesn’t have the prototypical size for a feature back, but he’s been efficient with his carries across his three NFL seasons. Warren is averaging 4.8 yards per carry through 48 carrier games. Unless Johnson looks incredible in training camp and the preseason, Warren figures to get the first crack at being the Steelers’ lead ball-carrier. He has never recorded more than 15 carries in a game, but that could change this year.”
Warren will more than likely record 15-20 touches per game to start the season. Arthur Smith and Mike Tomlin are committed to revamping the run game, and they’ll lean on Warren early on because of his experience in the offense and his pass protection skills. Whether he’s able to truly breakout this year — potentially eclipsing 1,000 yards on the ground and seeing career highs in rushing and receiving numbers — will depend on his production early in the season, and of course the development and production of rookie Kaleb Johnson.
Johnson is “built for Arthur Smith’s offense.” He’s big, physical, with burst, and perhaps most importantly, significant zone running experience. Harris lacked the outside run burst necessary for an effective outside zone running scheme. But Johnson has a lot less wear-and-tear on his legs, and he possesses the combination of size to run between the tackles and speed around the outside — as well as vision and patience — to thrive in Smith’s zone-run schemes.
Johnson will most likely see more and more touches as the season progresses, and there’s a realistic chance he takes over primary early-down and goal line duties from Warren at some point in 2025. But as Moton mentioned, Warren will get the first crack. If he gets off to a hot start, than Warren could set himself up for a breakout season backed by a more well-rounded offense and a healthier, rapidly-improving, young offensive line.
