The Pittsburgh Steelers have had very few bright moments this season, as they sit at 1-4 heading into Week 6. The team has needed a legitimate backup running back for years now, as the front office failed to hit on a few middle round picks in Benny Snell Jr. and Anthony McFarland Jr. The two have primarily just been special team guys in their careers, while barely showing much promise in the backfield.
Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
It seems like Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin and his coaching staff have finally found their guy. Jaylen Warren established himself at training camp in Latrobe as the team's primary running back behind Najee Harris. That continued into the preseason and now, into the regular season. He's gotten more and more snaps the past few weeks, and he's been quite effective when given the chance. Six of his 19 carries have gone for first downs, as he's averaged 4.9 yards per carry in the process.
He's also shown an ability in the passing game, racking up seven catches for 46 yards. The most impressive part of Warren's game has been his pass blocking, which has earned him an opportunity to be the main third-down back over the last two weeks. Former Steelers player, Merril Hoge knows a little bit about the running back position. When evaluating film from the Week 5 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the former Steelers RB was impressed with Warren.
"I wanna show you a couple of plays that make him truly a special player, an every down player if you will," Hoge said in his weekly film breakdown. "Jaylen's impact on the offense will be significant. But here's another area where he's gonna impact: Najee Harris. I mean Najee can leave the field now and you're still gonna get great production. That's gonna make his [Harris'] career a lot longer. To have these two guys together, [it's a] powerful 1-2 punch."
Credit: Steelers YouTube page
Hoge evaluated nearly every aspect of the game with Warren. Like all of us, he was most impressed with two aspects: the rookie's physicality and his pass blocking. Despite his small stature, he's shown an ability to put his head down and run defenders over. Warren continues to earn rave reviews, as Harris has struggled in the first five weeks.
Harris suffered a Lisfranc foot injury in training camp, which has likely plagued his explosiveness in the first month of the season. On Thursday, he announced that he had been playing with a steel plate in his shoe, which has since been removed. We'll see if that will help him this weekend against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but Warren continues to earn more playing time.
If we aren't there already, it's looking like we could have a split backfield in Pittsburgh. They've established a legitimate 1-2 punch with the two youngsters, which should bode well in helping prolong the careers of both. Harris touched the ball 381 times in his rookie season, which was quite unrealistic to keep up. Some may use Warren's breakout as a call for less playing time for Harris, but it should simply be seen as the team having two solid options.
Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
What are your guys' thoughts on Hoge's compliment? Do you think Warren is an every down back? How should the Steelers utilize Harris and Warren moving forward? Share your opinions and thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!
#SteelerNation
