Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Leader of Pittsburgh's backfield
Rotowire
Head coach Mike McCarthy said Monday that he views Warren as "our featured player right now," Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
During the offseason, McCarthy said that he viewed the Steelers' backfield as a 50-50 split between Warren and Rico Dowdle (toe). However, Warren has solidified his RB1 role over the Steelers' last three games with Dowdle on the sidelines, with the former accumulating 490 yards and two touchdowns on 61 touches (49 carries, 12 catches on 16 targets) in that span. It appears Warren is the clear lead back for the Steelers even Dowdle returns, which could happen as soon as this Sunday against the Buccaneers.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Two long TDs in win over Indy
Rotowire
Warren carried the ball 15 times for 101 yards and a touchdown and caught all six of his targets for 87 yards and another TD in Sunday's 34-22 win over the Colts.
The fifth-year back set the tone for the afternoon when he took a checkdown from Aaron Rodgers and turned it into an 80-yard score to begin the Steelers' second possession. Warren then added a 50-yard TD run right after halftime, becoming the first player in Pittsburgh franchise history with rushing and receiving touchdowns of 50-plus yards in the same game. He also become just the sixth player in league history, and the first since Herschel Walker in 1986, with an 80-yard TD catch and a 50-yard TD run in the same game -- a list that includes Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Gale Sayers as well. Warren's 188 scrimmage yards were a career best, and he continues to make the case that he deserves a bell-cow workload, turning 61 touches over the last three games into 490 combined yards, along with Sunday's two touchdowns. Even if Rico Dowdle (toe) returns to the lineup in Week 6 against the Buccaneers, Warren should be locked into the lead role in the backfield.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Full control of backfield again Sunday
Rotowire
Warren will remain the Steelers' unquestioned lead back in Sunday's Week 5 matchup against the Colts due to Rico Dowdle (toe) having been declared inactive for the contest.
Warren has thrived with the additional opportunity afforded by Dowdle's two-game absence to date, as the former has logged 23 total touches apiece in each contest and compiled 302 scrimmage yards in the process. Warren should be in store for a similar workload Sunday against a Colts defense that's surrendered 4.3 yards per carry and 11.1 yards per reception to running backs through four games.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: RBs to Start
Rotowire
Warren was a star in Week 3 against Cincinnati with 17 carries for 127 yards and three catches for 49 yards on four targets for 20.6 PPR points. He played 90 percent of the snaps with Rico Dowdle (toe) out, and that should continue again in Week 4 at Cleveland if Dowdle misses another game. The Browns have yet to allow a running back to score a touchdown this season, but Chuba Hubbard had 19 carries for 82 yards and four catches for 28 yards on four targets for 15 PPR points. I like Warren as a top-10 Fantasy running back in all leagues.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Cleared to play Sunday
Rotowire
Warren (shoulder) is active for Sunday's game against the Bengals, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.
A limited participant throughout Week 3 prep before being deemed questionable heading into Sunday, Warren ultimately received the green light to play. After splitting the snaps and touches out of the backfield fairly equitably with Rico Dowdle this season before Dowdle missed the entire fourth quarter of the Week 2 loss to the Patriots with a toe injury, Warren could be primed for a workhorse role in Week 3. Dowdle won't be available against the Bengals, leaving Travis Homer and Lew Nichols as the available depth options behind Warren, who played every offensive snap in the fourth quarter last week while Dowdle was sidelined.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Likely to play Sunday
Rotowire
Warren (shoulder), who is listed as questionable for Week 3, is expected to play Sunday versus the Bengals, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Warren was limited during the entirety of Week 3 prep due to a shoulder injury, while fellow RB Rico Dowdle was ruled out for Sunday as a result of a toe issue. Assuming Warren is deemed active approximately 90 minutes before a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff, he should be the primary backfield option for the Steelers offense, while practice-squad members Travis Homer and Lew Nichols likely will be the complementary options.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Listed as questionable, should play
Rotowire
Warren (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bengals after being a limited participant in Friday's practice, Alan Saunders of Steelers Now reports.
A limited practice participant throughout the week, Warren gets a 'questionable' tag but may in fact be headed for his largest workload of the season. Backfield mate Rico Dowdle (toe) has been ruled out, and Steelers RBs coach Ramon Chinyoung suggested Friday that Warren will play, per Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com. The Steelers otherwise have Travis Homer and Lew Nichols (practice squad) as their top alternatives, which could lead to Warren seeing more work on early downs while Homer takes over some of the passing snaps. An early kickoff at 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff allows Warren's fantasy managers to confirm his availability when inactive lists are released Sunday morning around 11:30 a.m. ET.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Limited Thursday while Dowdle's DNP
Rotowire
Warren (shoulder) was a limited participant at practice Thursday while Rico Dowdle (toe) didn't practice, Alan Saunders of Steelers Now reports.
For a second consecutive day, Warren mustered up some level of practice participation while Dowdle didn't practice at all. Dowdle shed his walking boot Thursday, per Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, but the veteran running back appears to be fighting an uphill battle to suit up Sunday against the Bengals. If Warren ultimately gets the green light to play and Dowdle doesn't, the former could be in for a busy day. Third-stringer Eli Heidenreich has been practicing without limitations.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Limited in Wednesday's practice
Rotowire
Warren (shoulder) was listed as a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, Alan Saunders of Pittsburgh Sports Now reports.
The Steelers have a banged-up backfield with Warren and Rico Dowdle (toe) both nursing ailments, but Warren was at least able to practice in limited fashion Wednesday. Warren appears to be trending in the right direction and may be tabbed for more work this week if Dowdle is unable to play.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Idle for first Week 3 practice
Rotowire
Warren wasn't involved in the open portion of Wednesday's practice and appears likely to be listed as a non-participant on the Steelers' first Week 3 injury report, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Per Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, Warren was present for the session, but his lack of involvement with his healthy teammates indicates that he's either receiving a veteran's rest day or is tending to an unreported injury. More information on Warren's status will be known when the Steelers release their injury report shortly after practice concludes.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Posts 77 yards as Dowdle (toe) exits
Rotowire
Warren rushed 11 times for 43 yards and caught two of four targets for 34 yards in Sunday's 20-3 loss to the Patriots.
Warren led the team in rushing yards and came one receiving yard shy of Germie Bernard's team lead in a game that fellow Steelers running back Rico Dowdle (toe) exited in the second quarter. If Dowdle isn't ready to play in Week 3, Warren would be in line for a heavy workload against the Bengals. Warren has 150 scrimmage yards on 28 touches through two games, which is a similar level of per-game production to the 2025 regular season, but he has yet to score in 2026 after posting eight total touchdowns last season.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: To share backfield with Dowdle
Rotowire
Warren and Rico Dowdle are expected to have regular roles in the Steelers offense during the 2026 season, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports.
With Kenny Gainwell moving on to the Buccaneers in free agency, Warren is the top incumbent running back in Pittsburgh, but Dowdle has taken Gainwell's place. Dowdle's previous experience with new coach Mike McCarthy in Dallas could dampen Warren's early-down role somewhat, but according to Graziano, Warren should take on the bulk of the pass-catching work out of Pittsburgh's backfield, as evidenced by his 139 catches in 48 regular-season games over the last three campaigns. Overall, Warren handled a career-high 251 touches in 2025, while Dowdle is coming off back-to-back seasons with 274 (with the Cowboys) and 275 (in Carolina), so both should be busy on a weekly basis this fall.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Splits with Dowdle in first half Friday
Rotowire
Warren rushed five times for 17 yards in Friday's 17-0 preseason loss to the Jets.
Warren was the first running back into the game for the Steelers but split carries with Rico Dowdle throughout the first half. The two running backs had similar stat lines, as Dowdle rushed five times for 18 yards and added a two-yard catch. Pittsburgh's entire offense struggled with Will Howard and Drew Allar at QB, but things should improve in the regular season with Aaron Rodgers under center. Warren and Dowdle appear poised for a near-even split barring injury or the emergence of a hot hand.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: First-team split begins
Rotowire
Warren and Rico Dowdle split first-team running back reps across the Steelers' first two training camp practices, Daniel Chavkin of SportsNet Pittsburgh reports.
Warren worked ahead of Dowdle on Wednesday but was the second running back up Thursday. While Warren remains the incumbent in this backfield and holds a steady role in the receiving game, Dowdle's arrival and familiarity with new head coach Mike McCarthy make this a murky situation. Warren's upside will depend on whether he can separate enough to avoid a full committee, and whether he or Dowdle gets distinct priority on early downs and near the goal line.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Slims down to 205 pounds
Rotowire
Warren said Thursday that he's down to 205 pounds this season, Chris Adamski of TribLive.com reports.
Warren is listed at 215 pounds on the team's official site, and he looks noticeably slimmer at OTAs this week, according to Adamski. Warren set career highs as a rusher last season, carrying the ball 211 times for 958 yards and six touchdowns as part of the Steelers' backfield duo with Kenneth Gainwell, who left in the offseason as a free agent to join Tampa Bay. Pittsburgh replaced Gainwell with Rico Dowdle, and 2025 third-round pick Kaleb Johnson is also in the backfield mix after rushing just 28 times for 69 yards as a rookie. Dowdle is more of a prototypical early-down runner at 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, so perhaps Warren slimmed down to get quicker as a change-of-pace and satellite back after Gainwell was targeted 85 times in 2025. Across four NFL seasons, Warren has 167 career regular-season catches for 1,227 yards and two touchdowns.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Back to full participation Friday
Rotowire
Warren (illness) practiced without limitations Friday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Warren missed Thursday's practice due to an illness, but his return to full participation Friday assuages any concerns about his availability for Monday's wild-card home game against the Texans. He's set to split backfield duties with Kenneth Gainwell against the stout Houston defense, which allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards to running backs in the regular season.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Misses practice Thursday
Rotowire
Warren (illness) didn't practice Thursday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
With a 'DNP' to start the practice week, Warren's status now merits monitoring in advance of Monday night's playoff opener against the Texans. The running back has two more chances to practice before the Steelers assign game designations for that contest Saturday.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Leading rusher on 14 attempts
Rotowire
Warren rushed 14 times for 66 yards while bringing in all five of his targets for 33 yards in Sunday's 26-24 win over the Ravens.
Warren continued to pace Pittsburgh's backfield in carries and yardage while RB Kenneth Gainwell poached a short rushing TD while leading the team in receiving (8-64-0). The 26-year-old Warren handled his first season as the team's starter adequately, producing a career-best 211-958-6 rushing line across 16 regular-season starts. Warren and Gainwell figure to continue complementing each other in a tandem effort against Houston's vaunted defense next Monday for the wild-card round of the playoffs.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Limited to 12 touches
Rotowire
Warren rushed the ball 12 times for 64 yards in Sunday's 13-6 loss to the Browns.
The Steelers' backfield usage remained consistent from the last few weeks, with Warren serving as the primary rusher but losing out on opportunities as a pass catcher. He managed to make the most of his opportunity with long rushes of 15 and 13 yards, and his 5.3 yards per attempt marked one of his more efficient performances of the season. However, given the split backfield in Pittsburgh, Warren is reliant on finding the end zone to have a strong fantasy performance. He has a good chance of recording double-digit carries in a win-or-go-home matchup with the Ravens in Week 18.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Logs full practice Thursday
Rotowire
Warren (hip) practiced fully Thursday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Warren was limited at practice Wednesday, but the running back's return to a full listing a day later paves the way for him to maintain his key role in Pittsburgh's backfield Sunday against the Browns. In the Steelers' win over the Lions in Week 16, Warren was on the field for 49 percent of his team's offensive snaps, while working alongside fellow RB Kenneth Gainwell, a game in which Warren carried 14 times for 143 yards and two TDs to go along with two catches (on two targets) for eight yards. Look for Warren to continue to be a focal point in Pittsburgh's offense this weekend, when the team will be missing top WR DK Metcalf, who was suspended for the Steelers' final two regular-season contests.
