Category: Jaylen Warren

Steelers RB Jaylen Warren offers sobering commentary on George Pickens

Jaylen Warren says he would have blocked for George Pickens but some guys play differently.

Sometimes, when you want to get your point across, it’s not about saying a lot, it’s just about making things clear. You don’t need to scream or yell and you can be heard loud and clear. That’s what Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren did with a single sentence when asked about teammate George Pickens making the conscious decision to not block for Warren on a run that might have scored because Pickens was concerned about getting hurt.

“If I was in that position I would have blocked for him,” Warren said.

This wasn’t all that Warren said but this is what mattered. Warren made it clear that injury wouldn’t have been on his mind. He’d have done what had to be done for his teammate.

Pickens has proven this season to be all about himself instead of the team. The only thing worse than his behavior is the fact that the team doesn’t seem to be doing anything to address it. Meanwhile, the next time Warren is out there, doing all he can to help the team win, he has to wonder if his teammate is going to make a business decision or have his back.

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Steelers RB Jaylen Warren downplays career outing vs. Packers

With every snap, Jaylen Warren plays like a guy who got overlooked in the NFL draft — because he was.

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.

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NFL should be ashamed of fines against Steelers RB Jaylen Warren

The NFL is literally stealing money from running back Jaylen Warren and should be ashamed.

I will never pretend to understand why the NFL does what they do. There seems to be no rhyme or reason for how they enforce their rules and the mantra of player safety is nothing more than a facade.

The NFL has also never been very subtle when it comes to targeting players for punishment and once you are on their radar, the league seems to have no principles when it comes to creating a financial hardship for a player for no good reason.

The latest player the league seems to have some sort of personal stake in ruining is Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren. The league fined Warren more than $48,000 last week for a block he made on a blitz pickup that did not draw a flag, which amounted to the entirety of his game check.

This is the second time this season Warren has gotten a massive fine like this for a legal block the officials on the field felt was well within the rules. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and his $64 million a year salary should be ashamed. Warren’s base salary is only $870,000 so he has been fined over 10 percent of his earnings for two legal plays.

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It’s time to stop with the Jaylen Warren RB1 narrative

Jaylen Warren will take over the starting role from Najee Harris has been the narrative since he first joined the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jaylen Warren is more explosive, so he’s going to supplant Najee Harris as the lead running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers when it’s all said and done. That’s been the narrative, even dating back to the 2022 season.

Just stop.

They’re two different backs, and they complement each other. That’s all there is to it. We know how stubborn Mike Tomlin is. The Steelers spent a first-round pick on Harris and signed Warren as a college free agent. Even if it does appear Warren would benefit Pittsburgh more as the lead back, he’ll never make the change.

It’s been said that Matt Canada will call a run-heavy offense this year, helping to take some pressure off Kenny Pickett. Having a change-of-pace run game with two different style runners should accomplish that.

Harris racked up 1,263 scrimmage yards (1,034 rushing, 229 receiving) and 10 total touchdowns in 2022. As a rookie, Warren rushed for 379 yards and an additional 214 yards as a receiver.

Do the math, and Warren averaged a yard per carry more than Harris. Good for him, but that doesn’t mean Harris’ starting job is in jeopardy. It simply means Pittsburgh has two efficient runners with different styles who can help accomplish what Canada is going for.

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