Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers let Najee Harris walk in free agency this offseason. The former first-round draft choice was a model of consistency in black and gold, rushing for over 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons with the franchise. Even with him gone, Arthur Smith likes what he sees in his revamped stable of ball carriers.
The Steelers’ offensive coordinator was asked recently if Jaylen Warren, Harris’ sidekick the past three years, is the team’s clear-cut No. 1 running back heading into the upcoming season. Free agent addition Kenneth Gainwell and rookie third-round draft pick Kaleb Johnson are other guys who figure to make an impact toting the ball.
“We’ve got a lot of weapons back there,” Smith said last week before a mandatory minicamp practice. “They all got different skill sets, explosive players in a little different way. Just talking about Kaleb, a different style player than Jalen. We added Gainwell. There’s a lot of depth in that room. It’ll work itself out. We’ve got a lot of weapons back there, and then how we deploy them, that’s what we’ll get into at Latrobe.
“Then sometimes, if the injuries happen, some guy may have to carry the load a little bit heavier one week or the other. We’re really excited about that room.”
Warren has picked up 1,674 yards and six touchdowns on the ground since joining the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2022. Gainwell has been in the league one campaign longer than Warren. He’s totaled 1,185 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground and adds a dimension as a receiver.
“Seeing Jaylen’s power, seeing Jaylen’s work ethic, that’s the same way I take the game,” Gainwell said during OTAs. “Then bringing KJ along with us, I think it’s gonna be a great show.”
Johnson focused on his pass protection technique during OTAs and mandatory minicamp. He’s a proven rusher, having piled up 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns on 240 carries at Iowa last season.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Is Steelers RB Room Better Off Without Najee Harris?
