The Pittsburgh Steelers offense has hit a speed bump over the last three weeks, losing two of their last three contests. During that span, the unit ranks 31st in EPA/play, 28th in success rate and hasn't been able to consistently capitalize on favorable field position. Much has been made about their inability to stay on the field, which is a valid concern, seeing as they're dead last in time of possession this season. It's clear that the offense clearly has limitations, but they aren't doing themselves any favors by failing to maximize their best player: running back Jaylen Warren .
After letting Najee Harris walk in free agency and electing to sign Warren to an extension instead, it seemed like a breakout statistical season would be on deck. That hasn't exactly come to fruition, and to be fair, some of that blame needs to be pointed in the direction of the Steelers offensive line. The youth up front is still very much a work in progress in the run game specifically, especially when it comes to working combo blocks in unison. The numbers bear this out as well. Through the first ten weeks of the season, Pittsburgh is averaging just 0.56 yards before contact, second-worst in the NFL ahead of only the Cleveland Browns, according to NGS .
Despite that, the Oklahoma State product has made the most of his opportunities. Warren has been creating well for himself, forcing 27 missed tackles, and is currently eclipsing the three yards per carry after contact, which is a common threshold set for good running back play. Among tailbacks with at least 75 carries this year, Warren is ninth in rushing success rate, just shy of Indianapolis star Jonathan Taylor's mark. It's fair to criticize the lack of explosive runs on his resume, but with how often he's getting hit behind the line of scrimmage coupled with the fact that he's still hitting a fair amount of doubles, it's hardly much of a blemish. Warren's vision, particularly on perimeter runs has improved, while his contact balance has remained a significant strength.
The biggest issue has been volume. Even as the lead back on the depth chart, the fourth-year pro is still seeing a sub-60% snap share and ranks 21st in rushing attempts. In last week's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers , he was actually outsnapped by Kenneth Gainwell . When asked about the reason behind that, head coach Mike Tomlin alluded to the Steelers' struggles on third down after Pittsburgh started 0-9 on the night.
"We win more third downs, we'll get Jaylen more touches. It's as simple as that. Jaylen was having the trajectory of a really, really good day in LA, but we didn't convert enough third downs for you to really feel it." That makes sense in a vacuum because quite frankly, they didn't have enough plays to get guys touches to make plays and score enough points. However, Tomlin's response on Warren's lack of usage on third down specifically misses the mark.
"I'm comfortable with both backs on possession down ball. Not taking anything away from Jaylen. He plays a lot on first and second down; you got to give him an opportunity to catch a break… He just simply cannot play every down."
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren during a game against the New England Patriots on Sept. 21, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
There's a fine line between asking a back to play every single down a la Le'Veon Bell in his prime and allowing the game script to take your top weapon out of the game. Whoever is responsible for making that decision, that's just not good coaching. Let's not forget that Warren was the team's third down back just last year and it's a role that he's performed very well in since coming in as an undrafted free agent back in 2022. Bringing in Kenneth Gainwell as a complimentary piece is fine, but he doesn't block or catch the football at the same level and quite frankly, has a role too large for his skill set at the moment.
He's fourth on the team in targets (33) but is averaging 4.2 yards per reception. He's definitely got some wiggle to him as a route runner to go with solid hands, but defenses just don't have to fear him getting the football in space. SIS tracks broken + forced missed tackles per reception and Warren's 69.5% rate is the best in the entire NFL among running backs by a wide margin. Compare that to his counterpart, who is actually being featured more in this offense on passing downs, sitting only at 17.2%.
It seems pretty obvious to anyone who has been paying attention that this offense needs to run through #30, no matter the circumstance. When Pittsburgh gets into these close games with playoff implications and the offense as a whole is stuck in neutral, the old coaching adage of "think players, not plays" needs to come into the equation. Arthur Smith and company simply do not have enough playmakers on the roster to allow their best player to sit on the sideline, merely confined to an early-down role. Warren is capable of providing even more juice to an otherwise dull entity, that is, if the coaching staff just gives him the chance.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Bell: Jaylen Warren Can Lift Steelers Offense – If Coaches Let Him
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