The status of Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren for Week 1 of the 2024 regular season has been up in the air since he suffered a hamstring injury during the second preseason game.
Initially, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that Warren would miss "multiple weeks" with the injury. Head coach Mike Tomlin recently gave an update, stating Warren's injury wasn't a long-term issue.
Now, we have an update straight from the Steelers running back, who addressed his injury and his Week 1 status. Steelers fans and fantasy football owners alike will be happy to know it was a positive update.
Jaylen Warren injury update
“It’s nothing major,” Warren said of the hamstring issue, per Chris Adamski of TribLive.com . “I would play, but you have to be smart. I am fine. We are just looking at this point to the regular season.”
When asked if there was any concern about him being ready to go for the Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Sept. 8, Warren's answer was short and sweet: "No."
This is obviously great news for the Steelers, who need all hands on deck when they begin their regular season. Warren is going to have a significant role in this offense, as he's part of a 1A/1B situation at running back with Najee Harris.
Warren is coming off a career-best campaign in which he had his biggest role in the offense yet. He still had fewer touches than Harris, but tallied career-highs in touches (210), rushing yards (784) and receiving yards (370) while also looking like the more effective back over Harris, as evidenced by Warren's 5.3 yards per tote to Harris' 4.1.
Harris is also entering the final year of his contract, so Warren could be auditioning for the lead back job in 2025 if the former first-round pick moves on in free agency.
