Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Cleared after full practice Friday
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Warren (ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Bears, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Warren steadily raised his practice participation throughout the week, as he upgraded to full participation Friday after being limited Thursday and being a non-participant Wednesday. He's expected to lead Pittsburgh's backfield as usual against the Bears, though Kenneth Gainwell is pushing for a larger role after scoring two receiving touchdowns in Pittsburgh's Week 11 win over the Bengals, which Warren exited early due to his ankle injury.
Warren (ankle) was listed as a limited participant at Thursday's practice, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Both Warren and Aaron Rodgers (left wrist) upgraded to limited participation Thursday after sitting out Wednesday, so the Steelers may still wind up having both their top running back and starting quarterback available for Sunday's game at Chicago. Warren's return Thursday is a step in the right direction, but he could still carry an injury designation into Sunday's game unless he upgrades to full participation Friday. Backups Kenneth Gainwell and Kaleb Johnson are both healthy.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Returns to practice Thursday
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Warren (ankle) is participating in Thursday's practice, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Per Batko, Warren is moving around well. Whether Warren is ultimately listed as a full participant or limited participant, his return to practice Thursday is an encouraging sign after he didn't practice Wednesday. Warren played only one snap after injuring his ankle in the second half of this past Sunday's win over the Bengals.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Unable to practice Wednesday
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Warren (ankle) did not participate in Wednesday's practice, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Warren continues to manage the ankle injury that knocked him out of Pittsburgh's win over the Bengals in Week 11. Though Warren downplayed the severity of his injury following that contest, his status for Sunday's road matchup against the Bears now appears uncertain. The combination of Kenneth Gainwell and rookie Kaleb Johnson will lead the Steelers' backfield versus Chicago if Warren is unavailable.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Not seen at start of practice
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Warren (ankle) isn't going through individual drills at the start of Wednesday's practice, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.
Warren downplayed his ankle injury after Sunday's 34-12 win over Cincinnati, but it's no surprise to see him absent from practice just three days later. He didn't play at all during the fourth quarter this past Sunday, and Kenneth Gainwell got more work than usual even before Warren's early exit. Gainwell and Kaleb Johnson will pick up the slack if Warren isn't ready to face the Bears this Sunday.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: May be limited in Week 12
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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that he's "optimistic" that Warren (ankle) will be available for Sunday's game in Chicago, though the running back is expected to be a limited participant in practice to begin Week 12 prep, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Warren carried the ball 10 times for 62 yards and added two receptions for five yards before checking out of this past Sunday's 34-12 win over the Bengals in the third quarter after tweaking his ankle. The 27-year-old said after the contest that he could have returned to the game, but the Steelers opted to play it safe and let Kenneth Gainwell and Kaleb Johnson pick up extra reps. Tomlin's comments Tuesday support the notion that Warren's early exit was precautionary, and that he will likely be available in Week 12.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Plays one snap after hurting ankle
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Warren rushed 10 times for 62 yards and caught both of his targets for five yards in Sunday's 34-12 win over the Bengals, but he played only one snap after suffering an ankle injury in the third quarter, Alan Saunders of Pittsburgh Steelers Now reports.
Warren exited in the third quarter to be evaluated for an ankle injury, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com. Kenneth Gainwell took advantage of Warren's early exit, compiling 105 scrimmage yards and two receiving touchdowns on 16 touches. Gainwell's first touchdown came two plays after a 35-yard Warren run on the opening drive. Warren has rushed for 189 yards in two games against Cincinnati's suspect run defense this season while averaging a shade under 50 rushing yards in seven other games. An update on Warren's ankle injury will surface no later than Wednesday, when the Steelers begin practicing ahead of a Week 12 road game against the Bears.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Totals 91 yards
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Warren rushed the ball 14 times for 70 yards in Sunday's 25-10 loss to the Chargers. He added two receptions on two targets for 21 yards.
Warren accounted for 14 of the 16 carries by Pittsburgh's running backs, as Kenneth Gainwell was phased almost entirely out of the offense. That allowed Warren to record his second-highest rushing yardage total of the season, and he was one of the few bright spots in the offense. Warren hasn't found the end zone consistently this season, but his role has improved as the season has progressed.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Reverts to modest production on SNF
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Warren took 13 carries for 62 yards while catching two of three targets for 11 yards in Sunday's 35-25 loss to Green Bay.
Warren cooled off following last week's 127-yard rushing performance, reverting to the modest production he's logged most weeks as the Steelers' starter this season. The 26-year-old actually finished Sunday's primetime tilt right at the 62.2 yards he averaged over his previous five contests. Backup Kenneth Gainwell finished with 31 yards on five carries, but he coughed up Pittsburgh's only fumble on the evening. Warren carries a high floor as the Steelers' lead back heading into a Week 9 matchup against the Colts.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: RBs to Start
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Warren was great as the Start of the Week in Week 7 at Cincinnati with 16 carries for 127 yards and four catches for 31 yards on five targets. He scored a season-high 19.8 PPR points, and he now has at least 13.1 PPR points in four of five games this season. This week, Warren doesn't have an easy matchup against the Packers, who are No. 5 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. But Jahmyr Gibbs, Quinshon Judkins and Javonte Williams all managed to score at least 15.0 PPR points against Green Bay, and the Packers are one of eight teams to allow at least 35 receptions to running backs this year. Warren should be a significant factor in the passing game, and I would start him as a No. 2 running back in this matchup at home.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Breaks out in TNF loss
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Warren rushed 16 times for 127 yards and brought in four of five targets for 31 yards in the Steelers' 33-31 loss to the Bengals on Thursday night.
Warren came just two yards short of his single-game career high in rushing yards, which he set against the Browns back on Nov. 19, 2023. The versatile back was in outstanding form against a Bengals defense that had been particularly prone to allowing chunk plays on the ground, compiling a season-high yardage total with the help of four runs of 10+ yards and a co-game-long 37-yard scamper. Warren also has at least four catches in three of the last four contests, and Thursday's performance affords him plenty of momentum heading into a Week 8 home showdown against the Packers on Sunday night, Oct. 26.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Start of the Week
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I don't typically use a player from Thursday night as Start of the Week, but I thought Warren was worth it for Week 7. There are still questions about him being at least a No. 2 Fantasy running back in the majority of leagues after what happened in Week 6 against Cleveland, but I expect Warren to dominate the Bengals in this matchup. Warren missed Week 4 against Minnesota with a knee injury, and Kenneth Gainwell had a dominant game with 31.4 PPR points, which is better than anything Warren did this year. After Pittsburgh's bye in Week 5, Warren returned against the Browns with just 11 carries for 52 yards and two catches for 11 yards on two targets. Gainwell had six carries for 22 yards and six catches for 14 yards on six targets against Cleveland, but Warren led the backfield in snaps (31-20). I expect a similar workload for both, and I like Gainwell as a flex in Week 7 (see below). But Warren has top-15 upside in all leagues since Cincinnati is No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs this year. Eight running backs have scored at least 14.1 PPR points against the Bengals, and Cincinnati has allowed 10 total touchdowns to the position. This should be a great game for Warren, and I expect him to go off on Thursday night.
Warren rushed the ball 11 times for 52 yards in Sunday's 23-9 win over the Browns. He added two receptions on two targets for 11 yards.
Warren returned from a one-game absence caused by a knee injury with his role in question due to competition from Kenneth Gainwell. Warren comfortably led the team with 11 carries, though he gave up a considerable amount of work to Gainwell in the receiving game. He was efficient with his work, but Warren appears to be the leader of a committee in Pittsburgh rather than a true lead back for the time being.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Present at practice Monday
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Warren (knee) participated in individual drills at Monday's practice, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Warren missed the Steelers' Week 4 game against the Vikings in Ireland and had the Week 5 bye to recover. Pittsburgh isn't required to release an official practice report until Wednesday this week, but Warren's presence on the field Monday would indicate he's closing in on being 100 percent and returning to game action ahead of Sunday's date with the Browns.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Expected to play Week 4
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Warren (rest/knee) is expected to play against the Vikings on Sunday in Dublin, Ireland, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Warren was a limited practice participant all week, with the Steelers citing both 'resting vet' and 'knee' as his injury designations. Even with Trey Sermon being elevated from the practice squad to the active roster, the expectation is that Warren will suit up against Minnesota, though an official announcement will be made approximately 90 minutes before Sunday's 9:30 a.m. kickoff. Kenneth Gainwell would be in line for an uptick in playing time on offense if Warren is unable to play or has his snap count limited, with rookie third-rounder Kaleb Johnson -- who didn't play against the Patriots in Week 3 -- also providing depth out of the Steelers' backfield.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: RBs to Start
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Warren took off as a pass catcher in Week 2 against Seattle with four receptions for 86 yards on four targets. He now has six catches for 108 yards and a touchdown on six targets in two games with Aaron Rodgers, and Warren's role in the passing game could be vital this week at New England. The Patriots struggled to contain De'Von Achane in Week 2 when he had eight catches for 92 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets, and Warren will hopefully continue to be a reliable weapon out of the backfield for Rodgers in this game. I also like that Warren had 14 carries for 48 yards against the Seahawks, and Warren is worth using as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues for Week 3.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Sleeper RBs
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Warren signed a two-year contract extension Monday, and coach Mike Tomlin made it clear Warren will be No. 1 on the depth chart ahead of Kaleb Johnson and Kenneth Gainwell going into Week 1 at the Jets. "Certainly, he'll be our feature running back," Tomlin said. "We're not opposed, obviously, to utilizing Kenny G and Kaleb, and I'm sure you'll see them. At what time, and to what degree, will be determined how the game unfolds." Warren should be considered a flex option in most leagues until we see how the touches are distributed, but Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will hopefully give Warren 15-plus touches in this matchup.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Not on track to play Saturday
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Coach Mike Tomlin noted Thursday that the same players (with the possible exception of LB Nick Herbig) who sat out last weekend's game against the Jaguars -- a group that included Warren -- are not in line to see action in this Saturday's game against the Buccaneers, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com and Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site report.
Along with Warren, that's a group that includes QB Aaron Rodgers, WRs DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin (abdomen) and TEs Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith (knee). Meanwhile, rookie RB Kaleb Johnson is on track to see snaps Saturday, as he did versus Jacksonville, per Pryor. As the regular season approaches, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic suggests that Warren likely will get the first chance to be the Steelers' lead back early on, but Johnson should remain in the mix, nonetheless, with Kenneth Gainwell on hand as well.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Joined by Kaleb Johnson
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Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said the dynamic between Warren and third-round pick Kaleb Johnson will be different than that between Warren and former teammate Najee Harris.
The 224-pound rookie, drafted 83rd overall, profiles cleanly as a replacement for Harris, but that doesn't necessarily mean it'll be a one-for-one thing with Johnson immediately taking 250-plus carries. Harris topped that number in each of his four seasons in Pittsburgh, despite averaging 4.1 YPC or less every year, in part because he never missed a game and was decent enough at blocking and receiving to stay on the field for some passing downs. Johnson may well prove to be Harris' equal or superior as a runner, but Warren could nonetheless take on a larger role than he had the past few seasons if the Steelers aren't confident in other aspects of Johnson's game. Warren signed a second-round restricted free agent tender a few days before the draft, keeping him under contract for 2025 at $5.35 million -- about the same as what Harris is getting from the Chargers, coincidentally.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Signs RFA tender
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Warren signed his one-year restricted free agent tender with the Steelers on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Warren received a second-round tender in March, which carries a $5.35 million salary for the 2025 season. Signing his tender doesn't necessarily preclude a long-term deal for Warren, but any further negotiations could be impacted by whether the team addresses the running back position during the 2025 NFL Draft. Coach Mike Tomlin expressed confidence Tuesday in Warren's ability to handle lead back duties following the departure of Najee Harris, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com.
