Tag: Jaylen Warren

Steelers left out of PFF’s perfect AFC North team

No Steelers positional unit made the PFF AFC North team.

Pro Football Focus has made it no secret they don’t think much of the Pittsburgh Steelers. All you have to do is look at their assignment of grades and understand that for whatever reason, Pittsburgh players get the short end of the stick.

So when they ranked every positional unit in the AFC North and put together their ultimate roster, they didn’t have the Steelers as having the best of any positional unit on either side of the football.

You can see how PFF’s roster broke down by unit from the tweet below. We take exception with two units in particular.

First up we have running back. We all respect what Derrick Henry has done as a player but as a unit, the soon-to-be 30-year-old running back and Justice Hill’s 387 rushing yards last season don’t impress us nearly as much as what Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren did as a combo last season.

Then we look at the linebacker spot where PFF has the Ravens ahead of the Steelers as well. If we include all linebackers, is there a stronger group than T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Patrick Queen and Elandon Roberts/Payton Wilson? That foursome definitely trumps Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh, Trenton Simpson and Roquan Smith.

Aside from those two, we have no issues with the Steelers not being on top in any other categories.

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The rise and fall of Steelers RB Najee Harris

Najee Harris was the Steelers’ first pick in 2021 and now his future with the team is in the balance.

After the 2020 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were at an impasse at running back. They’d let James Conner walk in free agency, and what remained in Anthony McFarland, Jaylen Samuels and Benny Snell was far from special.

Although the role of a running back was vastly different, and it was considered a risk rolling the dice on one in the first round, that’s precisely what Pittsburgh did. With the 24th overall pick, the Steelers took who some perceived as the best in the running back class in Harris.

Right out of the gate, Harris was a stalwart performer. As a rookie leading the league in touches, Harris put up 1,200 yards rushing — surpassing Franco Harris’ record of 1,055 set in 1972. He added 467 receiving yards and finished with 10 total touchdowns on the season. His next two seasons were much the same, with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and 18 more scores.

The knocks on Harris remain his lack of vision and yard per carry. He hovered at the 4.0 average in 2023 but fell below in 2021 and 2022.

In Harris’ second season, the Steelers signed undrafted free agent Jaylen Warren, and before too long, the two were nearly splitting touches.

Both are in the final years of their contracts, with Warren’s potential exit made more tricky by restricted free agency.

By not picking up Harris’ incredibly team-friendly $6.97 million fifth-year option in May, Pittsburgh appeared to say all it needed to. Harris doesn’t seem to be part of the team’s future plans. But as any good general manager does, Omar Khan keeps options open, saying that the non-move doesn’t preclude them from signing Harris to a long-term deal.

No matter how you slice it, while Najee Harris hasn’t lived up to his draft position, he’s been a serviceable back. The hot-and (mostly)cold offensive line hasn’t done him any favors, but we’ll see if that changes in 2024.

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Steelers run-first approach a worry for NFL analyst

The Steelers might need to lean heavily on the run game this season.

The biggest takeaway from Pittsburgh Steelers OTAs as it pertains to the new offensive under Arthur Smith is the run game. From the running backs to the offensive line, there has been nothing but good things being said about how this is going to be a run-first, smashmouth style of football.

But Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports doesn’t see this as a positive. According to him, the Steelers potential old-school style of football is one of the team’s big red flags.

Russell Wilson and Justin Fields give them must-see appeal at quarterback. George Pickens is talented out wide. And yet, with Arthur Smith at the helm of the offense, are they going to be conservative and run-heavy? The lack of proven top-tier running mates for Pickens may well demand it.

Establishing the run game isn’t a new concept for the Steelers, even if it is coming with new packaging this year. The problem, since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger has been the inability to throw the football when needed created such a one-dimensional offense, that they became predictable and far too simple. The addition of Russell Wilson should give the Steelers a far better option to throw the football when called upon and do more than enough to keep opposing defenses honest.

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Who will lead the Steelers in rushing yards in 2024?

Cast your vote for who the Steelers leading rusher will be in 2024.

One of the biggest moves of the Pittsburgh Steelers offseason was to add new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Smith brings a run-first mentality along with an improved passing game. But the players who should be most excited about this new scheme are running backs Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris.

Last season, Harris rushed for 1,035 yards and led the team. This was Harris’ third-straight season of at least 1,000 yards. Warren finished second on the team with 784 yards and really came on strong in the second half of the season.

Harris is set to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and Warren will be a restricted free agent. This leaves some mystery as to what the distribution of labor will be in what promises to be a much improved rushing attack.

Cast your vote and let us know who you think will be the team’s leading rusher in 2024? We think if Harris doesn’t get a contract extension before the start of the season, Warren will end up being the guy who takes the bulk of the carries throughout the season and end up leading the team.

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No running backs broke more tackles last season than the Steelers

The Steelers tandem of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren don’t go down without a fight.

When you talk about running backs breaking tackles, they are a product of two things. One is a back’s ability to break tackles and grind out yards. The other can be a product of poor offensive line play and players being forced to break tackles early in carries.

In 2023, no team’s running backs broke more tackles than the Pittsburg Steelers tandem of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. They broke 59 tackles in 2023, with the Baltimore Ravens in second with only 46.

But before you want to claim that this was simply a product of poor blocking by the Steelers offensive line, we did a little digging into the numbers.

Harris rushed for 1,035 yards in 2023 with 500 of them coming before contract. Warren rushed for 784 yards and 480 of those came before contact. This tells me the offensive line did its job and these guys just don’t go down without a fight. Harris averaged 4.1 yards per carry and Warren averaged 5.3.

These two are going to flourish with the improvements on the offensive line and Arthur Smith’s run-first offense.

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Steelers RB Najee Harris wise to decline interviews at OTAs

Najee Harris won’t address the media until training camp.

According to beat writer Joe Rutter, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris will not be doing any interviews during OTAs or minicamps and will address the media during training camp in late July.

Harris has opted not to talk to the media right now after the team decided not to pick up his fifth-year option. This means Harris will be playing in 2024 without any security for the future with the Steelers.

This alone might not be a reason for Harris to avoid reporters but after rumors swirled that Harris might have been the one who asked not to have his fifth-year option picked up because he’s ready to move on from the Steelers, Harris is wise to avoid those types of distractions.

Harris has been a steady, productive performer in his first three seasons in Pittsburgh. He’s topped 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first three seasons despite questionable offensive line and quarterback play. Harris should have things a bit easier this season with the addition of new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in charge and two new offensive linemen.

However, the presence of running back Jaylen Warren muddies the waters as the team might want to transition to him as the feature back this season.

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Steelers RB Jaylen Warren focused on a Super Bowl, not a contract

Jaylen Warren is more worried about a Super Bowl than he is a contract.

With a new offensive coordinator and a new offensive line, the Pittsburgh Steelers run game has a chance to be special this season. The addition of Arthur Smith means a new commitment to the run game and drafting two top-tier offensive linemen gives Pittsburgh the potential for a top offensive line.

That run game is going to be led by the tandem of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. The two combined for 1,819 rushing yards last season with questionable offensive line and quarterback play.

Both guys are also set to hit free agency at the end of the season. Harris is an unrestricted free agent and the feeling is he will not be re-signed. Warren is a restricted free agent meaning he doesn’t have much leverage with the team for 2025.

Warren was asked about a contract extension after OTA practice and he gave exactly the answer you want to hear. He says he’s more worried about a Super Bowl than he is about a contract. If the Steelers do not re-sign Harris at the end of the season, Warren suddenly holds all the cards as the team’s lead running back.

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Steelers RB Najee Harris won’t go down without a fight

Will Najee Harris be relegated to fewer carries in 2024 with such a great opportunity for succeed?

The Pittsburgh Steelers put running back Najee Harris is a very difficult position this offseason. The team declined his fifth-year option meaning he is on the last year of his rookie deal. We don’t know if this was the team’s idea or maybe he did it to himself. We don’t know the truth. Either way, Harris heads into the 2024 season with plenty of unknowns.

But for Harris, his top priority this season has to be to maximize his production and hope he can parlay it into a big contract. But will he get the chance?

On paper, the Pittsburgh offense looks more like the 1994 Steelers than the 2024 Steelers. Lots of power running and grinding it out behind a big, athletic offensive line. Perfect for Harris, right?

Maybe. Without knowing why Harris isn’t getting a fifth year we can’t know for sure just how much he will get the football in 2024. The wildcard is fellow running back Jaylen Warren. Warren has proven to be more than capable of being a feature back and is a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

There are really two ways this could play out. The Steelers might just run Harris into the ground, getting all they can from him and then send him into free agency with four straight 1,000-yard seasons but a lot of miles on his tires. Or the Steelers lean into Warren more, limiting Harris’ production before he hits free agency. We love Harris and hate the idea of him playing anywhere else and hope he doesn’t go down without a fight.

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ESPN ranks Steelers running backs outside Top 10 in NFL

Do the Steelers have one of the top running back tandems in the NFL?

All reports coming out of Pittsburgh Steelers OTAs are that the new offense under Arthur Smith is going to be run first, run heavy and lean on running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren along with the revamped offensive line.

ESPN’s Mike Clay ranked all the running back positional units in the NFL and had the tandem of Harris and Warren, along with Cordarrelle Patterson and Aaron Shampklin as the No. 11 unit in the league.

Last season the Steelers were the No. 13 rushing offense in the NFL, Harris finished with 1,035 rushing yards and Warren chipped in 785 more. Most of the team’s struggles on offense centered around the quarterback position so the hope is that the additions of Justin Fields and Russell Wilson will help Harris and Warren as much as anything.

Is this ranking too low? Based solely on talent, probably so. But based on the inefficiency last season, it is more than fair. This tandem has a chance to be among the best in the NFL this season which should quiet all the critics and naysayers.

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Steelers QB Justin Fields calls rumor about him returning kicks a misunderstanding

Justin Fields clarified why he was being talked about as a kick returner.

There was a rumor going around, courtesy of Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren, that the team might consider working new quarterback Justin Fields into the kickoff return game. I’m not sure how seriously anyone took it but when it comes from a player you have to wonder.

On Tuesday, Fields talked about the rumors after OTA practice and he laughed it off explaining the misunderstanding.

“Nah, I think everybody kind of interpreted it wrong,” Fields said. “Coach Danny was basically just trying to send a message that no matter who you are, you could be on special teams. He just used that as an example.”.

The real question was never about if the Steelers would use Fields as a kick returner. It’s all about how the Steelers coaches will incorporate Fields into the offense. Or could he actually win the starting job over Russell Wilson?

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