Steelers Have NFL's Most Underrated RB

Diving into Warren's Career Day vs. Bengals

Over the first two weeks of the season, Warren had recorded just 89 rushing yards on 21 attempts.

With a new right side of the offensive line and Rico Dowdle out due to a toe injury, however, Warren got both more of the workload and more room to work with against a Cincinnati defense that had been one of the NFL's best leading into Week 3.

Warren completely stole the show against the Steelers' AFC North counterparts, racking up 127 yards on the ground over 17 carries in addition to posting 49 yards on three receptions.

His 176 yards from scrimmage were a career high, and he forced 10 missed tackles in the process (per Next Gen Stats).

Why Warren Deserves More Love

Warren doesn't necessarily have the look, size or even style of a true workhorse, bell cow back.

He's 5-foot-8, 215 pounds and has never ranked inside the top 20 in rushing attempts in any season of his career, largely because he was sharing a backfield with Harris for the first three years of his career.

Warren's workload also got cut into significantly, especially in the passing game, by Kenneth Gainwell in 2025.

Dowdle was supposed to largely split the touches with him this season, though his injury has now left Warren as the bona fide No. 1 option at running back for the Steelers.

Because he's never quite had the numbers or opportunities that some of the top players at the position have had, Warren's flown under the radar.

There aren't many running backs as dynamic or explosive as Warren, however, and that has shined through whenever he's been the featured back, like he was vs. the Bengals this past week.

He has forced the fourth-most missed tackles (12) of any running back this year while having the 17th most carries, and his 5.7 yards per carry ranks fourth as well (per Pro Football Focus).

Warren doesn't carry the reputation of being a superstar, but he does deserves that kind of respect.