Jaylen Warren seemed primed for a bigger role after the Steelers moved on from Najee Harris—but then they drafted Kaleb Johnson. A third-round pick out of Iowa, he quickly earned the brand of archetypal Arthur Smith running back. Outside of quarterback and contracts, arguably the Steelers’ biggest storyline of the offseason was when Johnson would overtake Warren.
Yet the Steelers held Warren out of the preseason until the finale, treating him like a starter. And then they signed him to a contract extension Monday. Although it’s fairly modest, they still gave him a slight pay raise for this year. Either way, it amounts to a representation of how they value him. And part of that is because of his work ethic and mindset, as exemplified by his reaction to the Steelers’ offseason moves.
“I wasn’t concerned. Like I said, I stay present in my moment, my lane. I was glad we got Kaleb [Johnson]”, Jaylen Warren said, via the Steelers’ website. “He’s a baller. The more weapons, the better for the team, and that’s how I always moved growing up. I’m glad it happened for me, and I hope it happens for everyone on this team”.
By all accounts, including those of Johnson, Warren has been a warm and welcoming senior teammate. Now in his fourth season, he knows the ins and outs of the NFL, and of the position. Warren spent extra time with Johnson, for example, working on pass protection.
For all the hype, Kaleb Johson hasn’t come into the regular season all guns blazing. Although he improved over the course of the preseason, he didn’t exactly take the league by storm. Jaylen Warren should see the lion’s share of work to start off. Whatever reps Johnson sees, he will have to earn week by week.
Warren not so long ago was the exciting young Steelers running back, lest we forget. In 2023, for example, he rushed for 784 yards on just 149 carries, adding 370 receiving yards. He became the first former undrafted free agent Steelers player to record 1,000-plus yards from scrimmage in a season in some time, in fact.
Last season, however, largely due to injury, he didn’t enjoy the same kind of production. On 120 carries across 15 games in 2025, Warren rushed for 511 yards. While he put up a respectable 4.3 yards per carry, he previously averaged over 5.0.
Warren’s biggest issue has been his fumbling, with six over the past two seasons. In brief work during the preseason finale, he fumbled again. Although he has vowed to work to prevent it from happening again, the reality is this is not a new issue. Nor is it an issue he has failed to try correcting. If he wants to keep Kaleb Johnson at bay, his best move is to keep the ball in his arms.
