The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2024 season with the expectation of having one of the most dominant rushing attacks in the league. As the team prepares for a Week 13 contest against the Cincinnati Bengals, it is currently ranked eighth in the NFL in terms of rushing yards per game. Part of this is because Justin Fields was the starting quarterback for the first six games, but Najee Harris has had some big games as well. Jaylen Warren has gone through some injury issues, but there is no doubt that he provides a huge spark whenever he gets the pigskin.
Against the Cleveland Browns in Week 12, the inclement weather would have made one think that the Steelers would have consistently run the football. That ended up becoming a reality, but to the tune of 34 carries for only 120 yards. That was good for 3.5 yards per carry. Warren was above the team average at around 4.1, but Harris was much worse and hovered around 2.6.
The only reason the average wasn't even worse for Pittsburgh was because of a long 30-yard run from Fields, and his overall three carries for a total of 26 yards. Legendary quarterback Ben Roethlisberger talked about the defeat on his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, and he was almost at a loss for words when it came to why it has consistently seen like, over time, that Warren already has more room to run compared to Harris.
"Where's the run game," Roethlisberger asked. "I thought Jaylen Warren ran hard. You know, I thought [Najee Harris] was kind of doing - I'm not really sure why that, where the disparity is with those two running the ball. Why, see like Jaylen has the holes. I don't know."
No one is quite sure what the future of the quarterback situation in Pittsburgh will be, but the same holds true for the running back spot. Harris' fifth-year option was declined in the offseason and Warren will be a restricted free agent in the 2025 offseason. Roethlisberger's observation is something all fans have noticed since Warren was signed as an undrafted free agent back in 2022. He consistently is running harder and with better results.
Harris has a nice stretch of three games in a row with over 100 yards earlier in 2024, but has significantly fallen off since. It might be time to insert Warren is as the lead back, especially if the Steelers have no plans to try and re-sign Harris in the 2025 offseason. Warren hasn't been fully healthy, but looked like the better ball-carrier against the Browns, and it wasn't particularly close.
Pittsburgh seems dedicated to running the ball and winning by controlling the time of possession, along with strong defense. That was always expected to be the plan heading into the season, but it just might be time to see if Warren can help the offense be more efficient as Harris works through some struggles that he is currently going through.
The offensive line hasn't been great, but the notion that it blocks better for Warren on purpose would be silly. Warren is simply the more powerful running back that is seeing the field better. Roethlisberger noticed it while watching, and it's not something that has gone unnoticed for the majority of Warren's career with the Steelers.
Steelers Will Miss Strong Two-Back System In 2025
Regardless of which direction the organization decides to go once the offseason rolls around, it's going to be unfortunate to see Harris wearing another NFL uniform for the first time in his career. Warren will likely return given the status of his contract, but Harris is all but certain to leave in free agency.
Many running backs are making a difference with new teams in 2024, and Harris might be the next to do so. It doesn't change the fact, however, that Warren seems to run better behind the Steelers' offensive line.
