Just how good was Jaylen Warren against the Cleveland Browns? Not only was he the spark that gave Pittsburgh some signs of life offensively, but he ended up with the best Pro Football Focus grade out of any player in Week 11. Warren earned an impressive 93.2 grade, and with his second 100-yard rushing performance under his belt, there is little surprise that he received such praise. He has been exceptional and some of his stats are just eyepopping.
Warren leads the NFL in rushing yards over expectation (161 yards) and rushing yards over expectation per attempt (2.08 yards). Besides, in terms of missed tackles forced per attempt (0.41), he is near the league in explosive plays from the position despite being at a clear disadvantage. So, why can he only play 28 snaps per game?
67% of Warren’s runs were deemed successful against the Browns. Warren just has the all-around skillset. He is a masher in pass protection and a sparkplug in the run game. Warren has a diverse route tree as a receiver when allowed to unleash it and can win in space. In other words, he is a three-down player who impacts all game phases.
That’s something that Pittsburgh has embraced, although he only played 26 snaps. Jaylen Warren certainly could use more snaps and touches than that, as Najee Harris continued to outsnap the ascending Warren. Pittsburgh’s inability to find the right balance to use and unleash him in critical situations was a massive reason they lost on Sunday against the Browns. Their blunders will continue to hurt them until they look at the rotation and find a better split in critical situations.
However, for Warren he is proving to be one of the league’s best running backs this season by just about every efficiency metric. It should be little surprise to anyone who watches him, and Warren has found another gear in his game this season.
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