The Pittsburgh Steelers are experiencing a great deal of turnover this offseason. The team completely replaced its QB room, added a new offensive coordinator, and attempted to rebuild the entirety of the left side of its offensive line. Pittsburgh made another recent move related to the future when they declined to pick up the fifth-year option on Najee Harris' rookie contract. One ESPN analyst believes that could be because they already have a top NFL back on the roster.
During a recent segment on ESPN's NFL Live, insiders were discussing the details of Pittsburgh's decision with Harris. Mina Kimes explained how she views both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.
“They've also identified something that Brooke talked about, which is that Jaylen Warren is the best back on their roster,” Kimes said. “And I want to say this, he's not just more explosive than Harris, he's one of the best backs in the NFL. I think he's so complete, so good at forcing missed tackles, he's good at pass protection, and he can catch passes.”
Najee Harris was selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He was the lead back for the Steelers in his rookie season. However, the Steelers signed Jaylen Warren as an undrafted free agent during the following offseason. The two have been shared carries ever since.
Warren rushed 77 times for 379 yards and one TD during his rookie campaign. He followed it up with a strong 2023 season where he logged 149 total touches for 784 yards and four TDs.
It will be interesting to see how new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith deploys Harris and Warren in 2024. The results of the 2024 season could have an impact on each back's future with the Steelers.
Is Jaylen Warren the running back of the future for the Pittsburgh Steelers?
The fact that Pittsburgh turned down Najee Harris' fifth-year option is a strong indicator that he won't play for the Steelers in 2024. If Najee does leave, it could open the door for Jaylen Warren to become Pittsburgh's lead back.
If you ask Mina Kimes, that's exactly what they should do.
“So for Pittsburgh, I think this year they're going to run it back with Warren and Harris, but next year I suspect they'll hold onto Warren and they'll probably do what Mike talked about in this year's draft that a lot of teams did, which is draft a back in the later rounds to add to that committee,” Kimes said.
Jaylen Warren is in the final year of his UDFA contract, so he and the Steelers would both have to agree to a new contract after the 2024 season. The Steelers would be wise to consider retaining Warren as the only back currently under contract for the 2025 season is Cordarrelle Patterson who would be entering his age 34 season with a nearly $4 million cap hit.
At this point, the most realistic outcome is that Pittsburgh retains Jaylen Warren in 2024 in addition to using at least one draft picks on another back who can share carries with him.
Warren could become the first Steelers' running back to gain a second contract since Jerome Bettis in the early 2000s.
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