With every snap, Jaylen Warren plays like a guy who got overlooked in the NFL draft — because he was. And the Pittsburgh Steelers are thankful for it.
Seemingly fueled by his introduction as a co-starter alongside Najee Harris, Warren went on a tear against the Green Bay Packers finishing with a career-best 101 (6.7 yards per carry) and a touchdown.
It’s a big deal for Pittsburgh, which hasn’t had a 100-yard runner since Harris blasted the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11 2022 with 111 yards. That was his only 100-yard game of the season, and he hasn’t had one since.
But the soft-spoken Warren downplayed the accomplishment. “I mean it was cool,” he said in a Monday press conference. “Like I said I said yesterday, as long as we got the W, that’s that’s all I care about.”
Though Harris isn’t going to just lie down, his and Warren’s careers play perfectly into the ongoing debate of the value of drafting a running back in the first round. Harris, of course, was Pittsburgh’s first overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft and Warren never heard his name called the following year. Yet the undrafted free agent is proving to be just as valuable to Pittsburgh as the first-rounder.
Mike Tomlin shouted from the rooftops that Harris was Pittsburgh’s “bell cow,” but he can’t deny it anymore — limiting Warren would be detrimental to their attempt to establish an identity as a run-heavy offense.
Through the first nine games of the 2023 season, Harris has 134 touches and three touchdowns to Warren’s 102/2.
Nice little run by @Nunless2 for the touchdown!
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/T87FSnfvVk pic.twitter.com/qRWw9lgJ6h
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 12, 2023
