When the Pittsburgh Steelers hired new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, the plan was to take the running back tandem of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren and make them elite.
This did not happen.
Some of the onus for the Steelers shortcomings in the run game falls squarely on the shoulders of the offensive line. Two rookie starters and inconsistent play from the Steelers’ tackles made establishing a power run game practically impossible.
But looking at Harris and Warren, both of whom are free agents, their play didn’t make the situation of how to approach the running game any easier. Harris is an unrestricted free agent and we fully expect him to sign elsewhere and get a nice raise.
But Warren is a different matter. He’s a restricted free agent and while we expect Pittsburgh to make an offer we didn’t see enough from Warren this season to feel confident he can take over the No. 1 running back role. Warren finished with 511 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown but that isn’t enough to bank on him being ready for this season.
This means the Steelers will either need to sign an established veteran to work in with him or spend a day two pick on one of the many elite backs in the 2025 NFL draft.