Steelers could ink Jaylen Warren
Jaylen Warren has been nothing but a positive for the Steelers. Undrafted and seemingly a longshot to make the team, his tough running, and surprising burst made him fly up the depth chart in Pittsburgh. In two seasons, he has gone from a complete unknown to a core piece of the offense as evidenced by him posting over 1000 total yards this season.
As an undrafted free agent, he signed a three-year deal initially with the team, but he will still be subject to the restricted free agent process once that deal expires, meaning the Steelers essentially still have two years of control over him. That kind of leverage should have Khan salivating.
While much of the talk will be on what will happen with Najee Harris in the offseason, given his workload and age, I think an extension with Warren could be a possibility. Assuming the Steelers want to ink one of their backs to have them around for the next few years, Warren could be a prime candidate for a new contract.
For starters, he has been the better overall back for this team. Yes, he and Harris work extremely well as a tandem, but Warren can bust off the big play while still running with a lot of power. While Harris can handle a big workload, something that would likely not be as suited for Warren, I still want the more productive back on my team.
His contract will likely be on the cheaper end as well. Harris will likely want to reset the running back market, or something close to that. Warren isn’t in that position. Add in his contractual control over the next two seasons and he could be swayed to take the money now even if it is slightly under market value.
I think this would be an extremely prudent move. If Harris sticks around on a new deal/on a franchise tag, you keep your talented duo for a few more years. If Harris ends up walking, you still have a capable back that can handle an uptick in work if need be. It would be a wise investment for Khan this offseason.