The Pittsburgh Steelers are witnessing greatness from their running back Jaylen Warren. Originally part of a committee thanks to the signing of Rico Dowdle, when he got injured the former just exploded. Now that both are healthy, head coach Mike McCarthy has stated what the offense is going to be.
Warren has 126 or more yards in three straight weeks without Dowdle. When he gets 20 or plus touches, he produces at one of the highest rates in the NFL. McCarthy said “Jaylen (Warren) is our feature player right now.” He also said that Dowdle is nearing a return, but the team will give Warren plenty of touches.
Also, Aaron Rodgers slammed media favorites and defended Jaylen Warren. That’s how good he’s been. Warren is a dual-threat back, so he helps Rodgers a lot on play-action and checkdowns.
Warren’s numbers are actually incredible
Jaylen Warren has 410 rushing yards, 230 receiving yards, and a total of two touchdowns in just five weeks. As of now, he ranks sixth in rushing yards, however he is the one with the least rushing attempts in the top 11.
Warren is also third in yards per attempt with 5.9, just below Kenneth Walker III (6.2) and James Cook III (6.0). All in all, Warren is proving to be a borderline elite weapon for the Steelers.
What does this mean for Rico Dowdle?
Dowdle was brought into this team to be a 1-2 punch alongside Warren. However that might change. Of course, the Steelers won’t want to burn Warren, but if he is taking 20 touches, then Dowdle must make Warren dip a bit. Still, judging by the words of McCarthy, Warren won’t have less than 15-17 touches.
In fact, if the Steelers are somewhat clever, they should trade Rico Dowdle to an RB-needy team like the Eagles, whose RB depth chart is dealing with plenty of injuries, or the Seahawks, who miss Kenneth Walker III a lot and have no running game.
Key takeaways
- Head coach Mike McCarthy named Jaylen Warren the Steelers’ feature player moving forward.
- Jaylen Warren logged 410 rushing yards and 230 receiving yards over five weeks.
- Warren ranks third in the NFL averaging 5.9 yards per rushing attempt.
