The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t had Jaylen Warren’s full services for basically all season up to this point. While he has played at times, he has only done so between injuries. Come Sunday night, however, he should be at his healthiest in uniform so far. And that needs to be the beginning of his providing a jumpstart to this offense.
Not just to the run game, because we know Jaylen Warren does more than that. But the Steelers need him to be that 1B guy to Najee Harris’ 1A, and they need his qualities in the passing game. Harris has picked up the slack there, but Warren makes them complete—and certainly deeper.
Quite frankly, it doesn’t even feel like Jaylen Warren has played in four of the Steelers’ six games this season. He has only played 101 snaps during that time, mustering 28 touches. And that is largely why. His seven touches per game is nearly six touches fewer than he averaged last year.
And you know how well Warren played last season, don’t you? He rushed for 784 yards, recording another 370 on receptions, for 1,154 total yards. Coming out of last season, many wanted the Steelers to make him their lead back. Perhaps Warren is the primary reason they didn’t pick up Najee Harris’ fifth-year option.
That’s all to underscore how valuable Warren can be once he finally gets up to speed this year. Hopefully, that time will come against the New York Jets. While the Steelers have found some success on the ground, it too often comes in fits and starts.
To be clear, Warren has fared no better within all that up to this point. On 20 carries, he only has 61 rushing yards, about three yards per carry. Considering he averages five per carry for his career, something is off.
In the Steelers’ last outing, Warren played 25 snaps, recording nine touches. He ran six times but for just seven yards. That’s largely because of this backward pass that counted as a run and resulted in a fumble. He also caught three passes for just 11 yards—atypical production for him, to say the least.
Sure, the offensive line’s instability will be a major factor in that discussion. But I also doubt that Jaylen Warren has actually played while healthy yet this year. Let’s not forget that Mike Tomlin listed him as doubtful to start the week for the last game. He hasn’t been on the injury report at all since then.
The Steelers have gotten just enough from its offense to go 4-2 so far. But there are still a few pieces that can potentially play a role in taking them to another level. We have already talked about QB Russell Wilson ad infinitum, and there are aspirations for WR Roman Wilson. But a healthy, fully integrated Jaylen Warren can make a big difference, too.
