As the Pittsburgh Steelers went through their first practice before taking on the Chicago Bears in Week 12, running back Jaylen Warren was nowhere to be found.
On the team's first injury report of the week, Warren was listed as a non-participant with an ankle affliction that he sustained during Pittsburgh's Week 11 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren
Nov 2, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) scroes a touchdown during the second half against the Indianapolis Colts at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Warren, who did go through individual drills despite not participating in an official capacity, would still appear to have a good shot at suiting up against the Bears.
During his weekly press conference, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stated that he was optimistic about the 27-year-old's chances of being active at Soldier Field.
Warren was also cleared to return vs. Cincinnati, but Tomlin stated that the team made the decision not to put him back into the game and instead keep feeding Kennetgh Gainwell touches.
"He was cleared to play. He was willing to play," Tomlin said, per Steelers.com's Teresa Varley. "We just thought Kenny was doing a good job. Those are decisions that we make in-game sometimes.
"It's not totally up to the player's will or the expert medical device. It's about who gives us the best chance to win, and certainly at that point in the game, based on what we've seen, things were going well with Kenny. Things were less than ideal with Jaylen, and so we stuck with the hot hand."
The Steelers should feel pretty confident in Gainwell's ability to pick up the slack should Warren not be operating at 100%, assuming he plays against the Bears.
When Warren was inactive vs. the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4 due to a knee injury, Gainwell posted 134 yards from scrimmage with two rushing touchdowns as Pittsburgh won by a score of 24-21.
Though Gainwell ran for just 24 yards on nine carries against the Bengals last week, he made for it by catching seven passes for two scores and a career-high 81 yards as the Steelers defeated them 34-12.
Warren is the far more efficient runner, though, so as long as Pittsburgh truly feels confident in his ability to contribute, he should get the bulk of the work in the ground game vs. Chicago.
Gainwell should still remain involved in the Steelers' offense, and perhaps Kaleb Johnson could get a carry or two after having five against Cincinnati, but Warren will almost certainly slot into the featured back role if he's healthy.
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