Warren’s two carries is lowest since Falcons game in 2022

by Bo Marchionte
Published September 12, 2024, 12:37 AM

Pittsburgh, PA – Najee Harris carried the bulk of the carries against the Atlanta Falcons in the Steelers 18-10, Week 1 win. Only four other running backs in the league carried the football more than Harris (20 carries) and it marked his third consecutive regular season game reaching 20-plus. 

“You know Jaylen (Warren) didn’t practice a lot,” Steelers OC Arthur Smith said after the team walk-through Thursday morning. “We had stuff for CP (Cordarrelle Patterson), I thought Najee came out running hard.”

Warren’s influence in the offense was undeniable with the conclusion of the 2023 season. He cut into Harris’s carries and leap frogged him as the primary receiver out of the backfield finishing third on the team in targets (74) behind Diontae Johnson and George Pickens. 

“A lot had to do with the game,” Smith said of Harris getting the bulk of the carries and alluding again to the health of Warren and his workload. “We were using him situationally, not practicing a lot. So, we’ll see how this week goes with the division of labor with those three. 

It should be mentioned with Justin Fields under center, he ran the football 14 times himself. Pittsburgh leads the league with 41 carries, and while the division of labor may change in the backfield. 

It appears a heavy dose of running the football in Pittsburgh.

Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com