Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren exited Saturday's preseason game against the Buffalo Bills with a hamstring injury, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. As of this story's writing, Warren is considered doubtful to return to the game. The Steelers are hoping Warren avoided a significant injury, but they will closely monitor the situation.
One of the primary storylines in training camp and the NFL preseason for the Steelers has been the Russell Wilson-Justin Fields QB1 battle. In the end, it will not matter who wins if the rest of the team struggles to stay healthy.
Warren, 25, is expected to be the backup for Najee Harris during the 2024 season. The running back has displayed signs of potential and could earn a more notable workload this season.
In 2023, Warren rushed for 784 yards and four touchdowns across 17 games played. He also played a big role in the passing game, recording 61 receptions for 370 yards. Warren is clearly an important piece to the puzzle for Mike Tomlin's offense. Losing him for a significant amount of time would be a major blow for Pittsburgh.
Steelers' questions heading into 2024 season
Pittsburgh still has questions to answer ahead of the new season. Notably, they have been linked to San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. If Aiyuk is acquired by Pittsburgh, it will be interesting to see how the Steelers utilize him. Additionally, one would have to wonder what the Steelers' plan would be for George Pickens in the scenario that Aiyuk is acquired by Pittsburgh.
The trade will need to happen before the Steelers can start realistically thinking about any of that, however. For now, Pittsburgh is hoping to receive promising results on Jaylen Warren's concerning injury. We will continue to monitor and provide updates on his status as they are made available.