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Steelers RB depth chart: Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren set to steamroll
The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2024 NFL season expecting big things from their new-look offense.
The AFC North is arguably the most competitive division in the NFL. Each team understands the philosophy of running the ball well and is backed by excellent defense – two staples of the Steelers. Last season, all four AFC North teams finished with a winning record. It was the first time in the Super Bowl era that every team in a division finished above .500.
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The Steelers' grit and toughness embodied by their head coach, Mike Tomlin, is well respected. Pittsburgh has gone 17 consecutive seasons, finishing at .500 or better. They’ve done this despite registering a negative point differential in four of the last five seasons.
With the Steelers struggling on offense in recent years, they made significant changes entering 2024. They hired Arthur Smith as their new offensive coordinator. They signed Russell Wilson and traded for Justin Fields. Since becoming an offensive coordinator in 2019, Smith has earned a reputation for his run-heavy scheme.
With this approach, the Steelers' running backs have been heavily utilized to start 2024. Pittsburgh has been looking for its first playoff win since 2016, and its running backs will play a significant role in accomplishing this with their smashmouth style of football.
Steelers RB depth chart
The Steelers have four running backs on their 53-man roster. Below is the estimated pecking order among those four players based on their snap counts thus far in 2024:
And here's more to know about each player's role in Pittsburgh's offense.
Najee Harris
Pittsburgh has a dynamic 1-2 punch at the top of their running back depth chart, spearheaded by Harris. He enters Week 7, having played the most snaps of any Steeler running back. Harris broke the second-most tackles in the NFL in 2023 and has rushed for a team-high 376 yards through the first six games this season.
Dating back to his days as the Titans’ offensive coordinator, Smith has had his starting running back surpass 825 rushing yards in four of five seasons, with the only miss being a season with a backfield led by Mike Davis and Cordarrelle Patterson in Atlanta. Harris has rushed for over 1,000 yards in his first three seasons and is on pace to make it four. The Steelers did not pick up his fifth-year option in the offseason, making him a free agent following 2024.
Harris is coming off his best game of 2024, rushing for 106 yards and a touchdown.
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Jaylen Warren
Warren suffered a hamstring injury in practice before Week 1 and picked up a knee injury in Week 3. Harris has handled a large workload to open the season but Warren will likely begin to do more as the season progresses.. Last season, the Steelers led the NFL in broken tackles, and he finished fourth in the league in this category.
Warren was undrafted in 2022 but has quickly become one of the more explosive rushers in the league. Last season, he posted over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and 5.3 yards per carry. He missed Weeks 4-5 but returned in Week 6. He enters the Week 7 matchup against the Jets with no injury designation for the first time in 2024. With Harris's pending free agency, the 25-year-old can potentially take the starting role in 2025 and beyond.
Cordarrelle Patterson
Patterson entered the league as a promising wide receiver in 2013. However, he didn't produce out wide and transitioned to running back in 2021 with Arthur Smith in Atlanta.
Patterson is similar to Warren in that each is a Swiss army knife player. With Harris and Warren ahead of him on the depth chart, not many touches are left for the veteran. He has been out since Week 4 with an ankle sprain and will likely be relegated to special teams duties upon his return.
Aaron Shampklin
Shampklin is 24 years old and the Steelers' youngest running back. He is a former Harvard football standout who spent the last two seasons on practice squads for the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, and Los Angeles Chargers.
After being released by the Chargers last year, Shampklin became a substitute teacher at a middle school in Long Beach, California. He was eventually signed to the Steelers practice squad in January 2024 and played his first NFL game against the Colts with Warren and Patterson out. Shampklin earned the opportunity to make his mark and has been active in Weeks 4-6.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Steelers RB depth chart: Arthur Smith's impact on Harris, Warren
