It wasn’t Jaylen Warren’s intention to create headlines earlier this month when he praised Russell Wilson and Justin Fields while appearing to throw shade at the quarterbacks on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster last season.
Speaking on teammate Cameron Heyward’s podcast a few days after the NFL Draft, Warren said he sees a “night and day difference I would say with their leadership” in the quarterback room.
The third-year running back’s words were taken as a slight against Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph, the trio of quarterbacks on the roster the past two seasons.
Not true, Warren clarified Thursday. Warren said he was merely pointing out the difference in having a nine-time Pro Bowl and Super Bowl-champion quarterback leading the offense than quarterbacks with lesser experience.
Warren didn’t get the benefit of playing in a system with Ben Roethlisberger, who retired the year Warren arrived in the NFL in 2022. He appreciates the intangibles Wilson can bring to the Steelers offense.
“He’s a veteran quarterback,” Warren said. “He came in here; he’s been in the league 13 years now. He’s showing us what to do and sharing his knowledge about football. It was nothing about past quarterbacks. They are just as amazing. It’s just him sharing his knowledge with us.”
Like many skill position players on the Steelers offense, Warren is adjusting to the new faces he sees daily. Not just Wilson and Fields, who was added in a trade with the Chicago Bears, but in the person calling the plays.
Warren is encouraged by the offense he has seen installed by new coordinator Arthur Smith, who joined the Steelers after three seasons as Atlanta Falcons head coach. Then again, it would be newsworthy if Warren wasn’t buoyed by Smith’s presence given that Smith oversaw the NFL’s second-ranked running game in 2020 in his final year as the Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator.
“It’s a lot more motion, shifts, pre-snap movement,” Warren said. “It’s a lot of IDing and getting the calls to get on the right page. It’s a lot (different).”
A challenging offense to learn, Warren said, but nothing he believes Steelers players can’t handle.
“A little bit, but it’s doable,” he said. “I’d rather be in that offense and do our thing rather than be in a predictable offense.”
Predictable was one of the terms used to reference the offense run by Matt Canada in his two-plus seasons as Steelers offensive coordinator. The Steelers never ranked higher than No. 21 in points or No. 23 in total offense over the past three seasons.
Warren isn’t the only returning offensive player looking for a fresh start. Tight end Pat Freiermuth, who is entering his fourth season, sees a system designed by Smith that can take advantage of defenses.
“Everything is new,” Freiermuth said. “Formations, the verbiage. Obviously, you get to a point where there are a lot of similarities and concepts. There are more concepts in this offense and the way things are worded. Once you understand that, it’s pretty easy to get down.”
Warren even used an unfamiliar “F” word to describe one of the changes in the Steelers offense:
“We have a fullback involved now in the schemes we run,” he said. “The intent going in is to help our running game, and we think this will help it as well.”
In his second season after joining the Steelers as an undrafted free agent, Warren reached a career high by playing 49% of all offensive snaps. He had 1,154 scrimmage yards to complement Najee Harris, whose 1,205 scrimmage yards included a third consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season.
For all the changes Smith has brought to the Steelers offense, Warren doesn’t see a role change being one of them.
“I still look at it as Najee is the starter,” he said. “Whenever they call my name, I’ll be ready.”
Warren spent the offseason doing a concentrated weightlifting regimen aimed at helping him become a more explosive back. Which is ironic because Warren gets plenty of combustion from his 5-foot-8, 215-pound frame.
“Before, I would go into the garage and just lift weights,” he said. “Now, I’m lifting toward a better understanding of what I’m getting into.”
He hopes the work contributes to helping the Steelers become an improved offense under Smith’s direction.
“Everybody has bought in,” he said. “I can’t wait for this season. I know it’s a long ways off, but I can’t wait.”
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
