Though the Pittsburgh Steelers selected a potential bell-cow running back in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft in Kaleb Johnson, veteran running Jaylen Warren remains their top guy at the position entering the season.
He does so with a new two-year extension in hand, giving him some financial security as he looks to prove he can handle the starting workload this season with Najee Harris off to Los Angeles.
For Pat McAfee Show correspondent Mark Kaboly, the contract extension solidifies Warren as RB1 in Pittsburgh moving forward.
“It’s Jaylen Warren’s job early on in the season. I could see him getting the majority of the snaps, him and [Kenneth] Gainwell,” Kaboly said Tuesday on 93.7 The Fan, according to video via 93.7 The Fan on YouTube. “Well, I mean not Gainwell. Gainwell will get a handful here and there of carries and touches. But where’s Kaleb Johnson fit in at? Really? I mean maybe a series a half. Maybe if they go on long drives, it’s not gonna be 50/50 like it was, or 45/55 with Najee Harris two years ago. I don’t see that, at least in the first month or so of the season.
“Now if Warren, he did get hurt last year, if he continues to struggle with ball security then you can revisit that. But I think this pretty much solidifies that Warren’s your number one until he proves that he can’t do it or the other guy’s better. Now, I don’t know how the other guy can prove he’s better if he’s not playing.”
Coming into training camp, it was believed that Warren would be the RB1 early in the season, but that Johnson was going to come on strong as a great fit in offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s zone-rushing scheme. But Johnson had a slow start to training camp and then had a tough debut in the Steelers’ preseason opener.
Though he played much better in the final two preseason games and showed some promise, he didn’t do enough to really force the Steelers’ hand at running back. Of course, Warren did fumble in Carolina in the preseason finale, which is an issue he’s had throughout his career.
But the contract extension, though surprising, was warranted and locks him into the top job to open the season.
Johnson and Gainwell will have to fight for touches in Pittsburgh, at least early on. If Warren can stay healthy, clean up some of the ball-security issues, and continue to produce at a strong level that helped him earn the extension, it might be hard for the Steelers to find a way to get Gainwell and Johnson involved early in the season.
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