One of the reasons why the Pittsburgh Steelers are so optimistic about their offense this year is that they have a variety of weapons with complementary skill sets. Pat Friermuth and Darnell Washington are one of the best tight end duos in the league. And the hope is that Michael Pittman Jr. will fit in well next to D.K. Metcalf, giving Aaron Rodgers plenty of offensive weapons.
But arguably their best weapon on offense isn’t a wide receiver or a tight end. Instead, it’s a 5-8 running back who is coming off the best season of his career.
Jaylen Warren somehow keeps getting better with age, setting career highs in 2025 in rushing yards, touchdowns, success rate, and yards from scrimmage. Finally, he is starting to get the recognition that he deserves.
Pittsburgh Steelers RB Jaylen Warren named PFF’s most underrated running back
In a recent article by Daire Carragher of Pro Football Focus, he wrote about the most underrated player at every position heading into the upcoming season. At running back, Rico Dowdle, the newest Pittsburgh Steeler, was mentioned by Carragher. Dowdle has now rushed for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons despite playing on two different teams.
But it was Warren who ultimately received this honor ahead of players like Dowdle and former Pittsburgh Steeler Kenneth Gainwell. Here is a snippet of what the site had to say about the former undrafted running back:
“At age 27, Warren is coming off a career year, posting an 81.0 PFF grade, eclipsing 1,000 rushing yards for the first time and scoring eight total touchdowns. He brings a well-rounded skill set to the position.
Warren has dropped just two of 87 catchable targets since 2024 and ranked fourth among 64 qualifying running backs in PFF pass-blocking grade last season, making him a valuable contributor in every phase of the offense.”
The Steelers are hopeful that Dowdle’s physical rushing style, paired with Warren’s ability to win in the passing game, will make up one of the top RB duos in the league. Warren has shown he can handle a heavy workload, but he is at his best when he is getting 14-16 touches per game and is part of a committee.
If Warren and Dowdle can continue their upward trajectory, then this really could be one of the most balanced offenses in the NFL. Pittsburgh doesn’t need a top-five scoring offense to make some noise in the AFC. They just need to be more consistent than they were last year, especially against playoff-caliber teams.
Expect Mike McCarthy to heavily lean on this duo, especially Warren, to carry the offense early in the season. That only makes sense as Warren has shown that he is among the most efficient and effective running backs in the league.
Warren has a chance to go down as one of the very best undrafted free agent signings in Pittsburgh’s history, and that is certainly saying something considering their long track record of success outside of the draft.
Add us as a preferred source on Google