One of the biggest surprises of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp has been the play of rookie running back Jaylen Warren. Warren played his college ball at Oklahoma State and joined the Steelers as an undrafted free agent. He’s been a very pleasant surprise in training camp and the preseason and put on strong performances in both practice and games.
How good has Warren been? Among rookie running backs, Warren has lapped the rest of the group in terms of avoided tackle rate at 89 percent. The next closest is Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White at only 46 percent.
Warren could end up being the primary backup to starter Najee Harris and a legitimate change-of-pace back. He’s a downhill guy who is always falling forward but is quick enough to make players miss.
Preseason avoided tackle rate rookie leaders:
89% — Jaylen Warren
46% — Rachaad White
43% — James Cook
40% — Dameon Pierce, Malik Willis, Trestan Ebner
39% — Hassan Haskins
33% — Tyler Allgeier, Jerome Ford
25% — TDP
22% — Breece Hall
16% — Isiah Pacheco
15% — Isaiah Spiller— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 23, 2022
