For three seasons, the combination of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren in the backfield of the Pittsburgh Steelers was a perfect complement to each other. Harris was the thunder, the guy that would wear defenders down with his plodding, physical style. Warren was the lightning, who would come in, change the pace, still hit you in the mouth and rip off the explosive plays.
Now, that combination is no more as Harris is a Los Angeles Charger, signing with LA as a free agent. Warren is back in Pittsburgh, having signed his Restricted Free Agent tender April 22, locking him into Pittsburgh for the 2025 season at $5.346 million for the year.
Despite losing that leadership in Harris in the running back room, and adding a rookie running back in Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson as a third-round pick, Warren — who appeared on the “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” podcast from Tequila Cowboy in Pittsburgh over the weekend — stated he’s not going to change anything about his game, and is looking forward to stepping up as a leader in the running back room, which now features himself, Johnson, Kenneth Gainwell, Cordarrelle Patterson, Aaron Shampklin, Jonathan Ward and Evan Hull.
“Same thing I brought the past three years. You know, the grind, the hard work. Changing nothing about my game,” Warren said when asked what fans can expect in 2025 without Harris in the backfield, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “I plan on taking us to the Super Bowl, nothing less.”
Nothing should change with Warren. He’s still going to be a high-energy, high-effort runner that will refuse to go down on first contact. The only thing that might change is the workload for Warren, who should see more touches in 2025 in Arthur Smith’s offense.
What made Warren a good player with the Steelers, helping him claw his way from undrafted free agent to a standout part of the Steelers’ offense, won’t change even with that elevated role.
What might change though is the weight his voice and leadership carries.
That said, being a leader in the RB room isn’t something that will be new for him, considering he did it in college at Oklahoma State and Utah State before entering the NFL.
“It’s cool. You know, I just, I look at it as I’m willing to help these guys out. Give them my knowledge about the game. It ain’t my first time,” Warren said of stepping up as a leader. “Just looking at it, like when I was at Oklahoma State, I was at that point. When I was at Utah State, I was at that point, too.
“So it’s just, I’m treated the same. Help the guys out and whatever gives us the best opportunity to win, that’s what I’m gonna do.”
Spoken like a true leader. He’s not going to change his approach on or off the field, and why should he? What’s worked so far will work moving forward. He’ll just have a voice and an impact that carries more weight without Harris in the room.
Check out the full episode of “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” below.
