Now that Najee Harris has moved on to Los Angeles, Jaylen Warren finds himself in pole position to be the No. 1 running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season.
It’s an opportunity to seize hold of the starting role and prove he can be as good as many expect him to be in a leading role.
Yet, former NFL running back and current NFL Network analyst Maurice Jones-Drew has plenty of questions about Warren entering the 2025 season. In his piece ranking each of the 32 RB1s around the league, Jones-Drew has Warren ranked among the league’s worst.
Warren lands at No. 29 overall, though he is ahead of fellow AFC North running backs Chase Brown and Jerome Ford in the rankings.
“Najee Harris’ departure paves the way for Warren to get a bulk of the carries for Pittsburgh for the first time in his career, and the fourth-year pro is determined to make the most of the opportunity, designing his offseason training around improving his durability,” Jones-Drew writes regarding Warren within his rankings. “Warren has never reached 150 carries or 800 rush yards in an NFL season, so there’s a good chance he enjoys a career year, even if rookie Kaleb Johnson and veteran Kenneth Gainwell share the load.
“Yet, with the arrival of Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf, the passing game is likely to be more of a focal point in Pittsburgh.”
After serving as the third-down back, pass protector and the change of pace running back behind Harris, Warren is now in line to be the guy in Pittsburgh. In limited action over the last few years, he’s shown he can be an explosive piece. He’s a physical runner.
But he’s struggled to stay healthy in the NFL, which raises concerns about him potentially being the RB1 for the Steelers in 2025.
Even with the loss of Harris, the Steelers loaded up at running back, signing Kenneth Gainwell in free agency and drafting Kaleb Johnson out of Iowa in the third round. Johnson projects as a great fit in offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s zone running scheme, and could cut into Warren’s snaps, potentially even taking over the RB1 role at some point this season.
Warren has been hard at work this offseason though ahead of the opportunity. Some videos published to social media in recent days shows some of the unique workouts he’s gone through. He certainly looks bigger and stronger this offseason, so hopefully that can help him withstand a bigger workload and keep him healthy.
It will be exciting to see how Warren handles a potential RB1 role with the Steelers. But right now, he’s near the bottom of the league in Jones-Drew’s rankings and has a lot to prove.
