Steelers RB Jaylen Warren exits game with hamstring injury, doubtful to return vs. Bills

The Pittsburgh Steelers got some bad news in their preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday night. Running back Jaylen Warren exited the game with a hamstring injury and is doubtful to return, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Warren had a breakout season last year for the Steelers, racking up over 1,000 all-purpose yards and four total touchdowns. He had 784 rushing yards and 370 rushing yards.

Mina Kimes expecting breakout year from Jaylen Warren

A few months ago, ESPN’s Mina Kimes was giving plenty of praise to Jaylen Warren.

She expects Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren to have a big 2024 season. While appearing on ESPN NFL Live, the NFL analyst gave high praise to Warren when talking about the new-look Steelers offense.

“Jaylen Warren is the best back on their roster. He’s not just more explosive than [Najee Harris], he’s one of the best backs in the NFL,” Kimes said. “I think he’s so complete, so good at forcing missed tackles, he’s good in pass protection, he can catch passes.

His breakout game against the Packers

One of the games that stood out for Warren was when he rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown against the Packers last season. “I mean it was cool,” Warren said at the time, per Yahoo Sports.  “Like I said I said yesterday, as long as we got the W, that’s that’s all I care about.”

Warren signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2022 after playing for Oklahoma State. In his rookie season, Warren rushed for 379 yards and one touchdown on 77 carries.

Before the 2022 draft, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com shared his thoughts on Warren. “Wrecking ball on wheels who plays with the type of pace and power that makes tape study a lot of fun,” Zierlein wrote. Warren is a self-assured competitor who proved he could handle the workload and spotlight of the Big 12.

“He’s decisive, with an ability to cut at full speed. However, he lacks burst and agility to expand his runs too far outside. He’s a momentum runner who is much tougher to tackle with every step he takes, but he needs it blocked up, as he lacks the ability to create for himself early in the run. He’s talented in the screen game and has a chance to compete for a backup role.”

On3’s Brian Jones also contributed to this article.