Steelers Now
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Having signed Jaylen Warren to a contract extension last Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers made it known that the former undrafted free agent is part of their plans going forward. During a 34-32 win over the New York Jets on Sunday, however, free agent addition Kenneth Gainwell played more snaps than Warren did.
Gainwell was on the field for 29 plays, taking seven carries for 19 yards and catching another three balls for four yards. Warren paced the Steelers’ meager running game, going 37 yards on 11 gives. Warren also had two grabs for 22 yards and a touchdown.
Rookie third-round draft pick Kaleb Johnson was on the field for two plays and had minus-2 yards on one tote.
“I was just getting all my opportunities and I took advantage of them,” Gainwell said.
Gainwell believes the Steelers have unique bunch of ball-carriers that all bring a lot to the table.
“I think it’s a real special room that we have,” Gainwell said. “We’re basically just trying to take every piece of the pie that we can in the running back room and go out there and dominate. … It’s a special thing when you have three guys that can do it all, you know? And we’re very grateful for that.”
Aaron Rodgers passed for 218 yards and four scores, making up for the ground game’s shortcomings. Gainwell discussed what it will take to turn things around.
“I think we’ve to get more push,” Gainwell said. “Up front, those guys handled their business. In back, we’ve gotta continue to see the reads and hit the holes as hard as we can. … We’ve just gotta continue to trust and press our landmarks to hit it.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Feature Surprising Running Back vs. NY Jets
