Steelers Now
With Najee Harris now with the Los Angeles Chargers, Jaylen Warren’s workload will significantly increase for the Pittsburgh Steelers this year. Warren is doing everything he can to prepare his body for being the lead back.
“I approached this offseason differently,” Warren said to Steelers.com. “I did a lot more things for longevity wise, instead of my old-school training like just getting the cleats on and running 30 hills. I had to adapt. This game is about longevity. And like they say, the best ability is availability.”
Jaylen Warren will likely get the first shot at being Pittsburgh’s starter after spending the past three years as the 1B to Harris’ 1A. In fact, he showed on several occasions that he should have arguably been the team’s starter while rushing for 1,674 yards (4.8 yards per carry) and six touchdowns.
Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said when you lose half your carries, a running back needs to step up. The Steelers are counting on Warren to be that guy.
“Generally you’ve got 500-plus carries in a regular season,” Smith said. “You’re talking about 1,100 snaps. You would like to be on the plus side of 500. That means you’re in more four-minute. Let’s leave it at 500 carries to divvy up. That’s kind of where you’re at. Then obviously losing Naj, Naj for four years here, he was very durable, and that’s a lot of missing carries.”
Steelers running backs coach Eddie Faulkner is confident that his trio of running backs — Warren, rookie Kaleb Johnson and Super Bowl champion Kenneth Gainwell — will fill the void of losing Harris.
“Like they say nowadays, he got it straight out the mud. Like he had to earn every step of the way he had to when that league’s over,” Faulkner said of the undrafted Warren. “You feel that with KJ. You feel that with Kenny G. I mean, I think that’s the quality of the room that’s exciting. You know what I mean? They all have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder.”
Gainwell thinks his new backfield can be special just like the one he was a part of in Philadelphia last season.
“It’s been exciting seeing Jaylen [Warren]’s work ethic. That’s the same way I attack the game,” Gainwell said. “I feel like we can rely on each other real good. And then bringing KJ along with us, man, I think it’s gonna be a great show. Hopefully you’re ready for it.”
Alan Saunders and Aaron Becker contributed reporting for this story.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Jaylen Warren Makes Big Change Ahead of 2025 Season
