Steelers running back Jaylen Warren breaks free for 62-yard touchdown run on opening drive vs. Bills
It didn’t take long for Steelers running back Jaylen Warren to show off his speed in Saturday’s preseason game against the Bills. Just a little more than two minutes into the first quarter, Warren took a handoff and raced past several defenders on his way to the end zone for a 62-yard touchdown.
Warren weaved around a block from Pittsburgh receiver Diontae Johnson and was off to the races as a defender dived to try to trip him up but missed. You can view the moment below.
It was the first carry of the game for Warren and he more than made it count. The Oklahoma State product is set to enter his second season in Pittsburgh after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2022.
Shortly after Warren’s run, the Steelers struck again with a 25-yard touchdown connection from Kenny Pickett to tight end Pat Freiermuth. With defenders all around him, Freiermuth somehow managed to haul in the catch as he backed his way into the end zone for the score. That gave Pittsburgh a 14-0 lead that still stands with less than a minute until halftime.
Warren appeared in all 16 games as a rookie to finish with 379 yards rushing and a touchdown behind Najee Harris. He also had an impact as a receiver with 28 catches for 214 yards. His best performance of the season came in Week 16 against the Ravens, during which he finished with 12 carries for 76 yards rushing and three catches for 22 yards.
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Warren is expected to again enter the 2023 season as the backup to Harris. However, with plays like this he is making a case to be more involved in the offense. The Steelers also have Anthony McFarland Jr. and undrafted rookie Darius Hagans behind Warren and Harris at the running back position.
Pittsburgh averaged 121.9 rushing yards per game in 2022 to rank 16th in the NFL. However, it saw an uptick in production during the final nine games of the year to increase that number to 146.0 yards.
The Steelers are coming off of an 9-8 season that saw them miss the playoffs, but went 7-2 down the stretch. As they aim to carry that momentum over into this season, the running game and Warren will certainly play a big part.
Pittsburgh has one more preseason game after this on Aug. 24 against the Atlanta Falcons. After that, it will open the regular season on Sept. 10 against the 49ers.