Despite plenty of offensive upgrades, one beat writer doesn’t think the Pittsburgh Steelers are better everywhere. Quarterback with Aaron Rodgers? Sure. Receiver with DK Metcalf? Yes. An offensive line with plenty of potential? There’s optimism. But at running back, Dulac believes the team has downgraded from Najee Harris as the lead back a year ago.
“You can’t say [it’s better] about running back when you lose a guy who’s had four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and never missed a game despite all the punishment he takes,” Dulac said in a pre-game interview with DVE. “And Jaylen Warren is the guy you rotate in with them. You cannot say that the running back position is better than it was last year.”
Pittsburgh swapped out most of its running back room, with Warren the only holdover from 2024. He enters atop the depth chart and in a critical year of his career, a free agent next offseason. Najee Harris was let go and signed with the Los Angeles Chargers, while Cordarrelle Patterson was cut less than a week into training camp. In their place are rookie third-round pick Kaleb Johnson and free agent signing Kenneth Gainwell.
While Harris had limited upside, Dulac’s points have a level of validity. Harris missed zero games throughout his four-year career and rarely fumbled. It was dependability and reliability that were uncommon for the position. Pittsburgh is rolling the dice. Whatever tradeoff they may lose in those categories will be made up for in the big-play ability Johnson offers and the pass-catching role Gainwell could have.
Even with a pessimistic lens, Dulac thinks the group could still end ahead of last year.
“Could it be eventually?” he said. “Maybe. That’s gonna be up to Kaleb Johnson. But I do not see that position being better despite the changes they have made. Do I like Kaleb Johnson? Yes. Do I think the position is better? I do not.”
Johnson’s talents as a runner are clear, and he’s shown as much even in training camp action. How he performs as a pass blocker and receiver will dictate his snap count and ability to function like a lead back. It remains to be seen how much OC Arthur Smith will scheme plays up for Gainwell. It’s happened frequently in camp, but we’ve seen secondary players fade after busy summers.
Pittsburgh needs its running game to be an asset as one way to protect QB Aaron Rodgers. For the Steelers to feel good about their offense, Dulac’s assessment will need to be wrong.
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