The Pittsburgh Steelers had an incredibly disappointing loss on Thursday evening, falling to 1-2 on the season. Despite the downfall in the second half, there were a few positives to pull from the game. The offense showed signs of life in the first half before eventually not doing anything in the second half. One of the positives, specifically from the offense's outburst in the first half, was rookie running back, Jaylen Warren.
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Warren won the backup running back job in training camp and the preseason, overtaking Benny Snell Jr. and Anthony McFarland Jr. for RB2. The Oklahoma State product went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, which was somewhat surprising considering his success in the Big 12 in 2021. The Steelers scooped him up as an undrafted free agent, and he's already proving his worth in three NFL games so far. Against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night, Warren had four carries for 30 rushing yards, in addition to a three-yard catch.
The rookie did fumble toward the sidelines on one of his two first down runs, but luckily for Warren, wide receiver, Diontae Johnson was right there to scoop it up. Aside from that mistake, Warren was phenomenal on the night. He is proving to be the perfect complement to Najee Harris, which will pay dividends for the long-term of the season. Warren had another big play on a shovel pass, but it was wiped out on a questionable penalty call on offensive tackle, Chukwuma Okorafor.
Moving forward, the black and gold should trust Warren and be able to utilize him a bit more. The fumble shouldn't be too concerning (at least yet), unless if it becomes a more prevalent issue in the future. If you remember, he did fumble in training camp and as a result, head coach, Mike Tomlin had Warren carry a football around Latrobe, PA the next day. He'll learn though, as he tried racking up a few extra yards rather than just going out of bounds. That's simply a rookie guy trying to make his mark, so there shouldn't be too much made of that.
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Due to the offense not finding a rhythm in the second half, which included three consecutive three-and-outs at one point, Warren didn't get a touch after halftime. Perhaps Tomlin did sit him for the second half after his fumble earlier in the game, but the offense wasn't on the field long enough for Harris to need a break. Furthermore, Warren continues to impress in one area that may not get too much attention. That is, his ability to protect quarterback Mitch Trubisky as a pass blocker. He showed the ability to do so before the season and into the first two weeks, and he continued to impress in that department on Thursday.
Overall, the rookie has been impressive. It may not reflect it in the box score, but he's shown a unique combination of burst and power, which should be able to provide a legitimate 1-2 punch between him and Harris moving forward.
How impressed have you been with Warren so far? Should he get more touches moving forward in order to preserve Harris? Should there be any concern with his fumble? Share your thoughts, opinions, and frustrations after Thursday night's loss in the comment section below!
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