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Aug 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Trey Sermon (27) celebrates a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Steelers Might Fix Run Game With Former Colts RB

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Sep 19, 2025 11:00 AM ET

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most unimposing run offenses in the NFL to start the 2025 season. The duo of Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell behind a line of young offensive linemen has accumulated the third-fewest rushing yards through two weeks.

At times, the Steelers' rushing attack has looked average, and other times it's looked downright mediocre. It's a disturbing trend to begin the season, but it's one that can be remedied. In order to do that, the organization needs an immediate spark. That can be found in the current practice squad running back, Trey Sermon.

Sermon is not here to take over the number one RB role or became the main featured back. The Ohio State product is a downhill runner that does his best work between the tackles. The 6'0", 215 pound back is not the fastest or most agile of the bunch, but he would bring a completely different element to the team's running game. That element is straight ahead, pick up a couple of yards, head-down football.

The Steelers need to find balance in their running game. They know this, as offensive coordinator Arthur Smith pointed out after their Week 2 loss.

"You want to be balanced, and sometimes it's a week-to-week matchup," he said. "Regardless of what your philosophy is, you become one-dimensional in any circumstance, you're going to make life hard on yourself, especially in the NFL."

Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There's no balance to be struck with the team's current running back rotation. Gainwell and Warren are cut from the same cloth. They are quick backs who can do damage out of the backfield and when they are sent out in motion for a pass.

That's the problem plaguing the Steelers' run game right now. It's too similar across the board. It doesn't matter that Gainwell's versatility is his greatest weapon, because the opposing defenses know what to expect. If he's lined up alongside the quarterback, it's usually an indication that they are trying to run an outside zone. If he kicks out in motion, it alerts the defense to a potential jet sweep or a screen pass or even a slant route. It's not an exact science, but defenses are keying in on the Steelers' plan for Gainwell quickly.

And the problem is exacerbated by the fact that their lead back, Warren, is the same type of player, just more effective. He's a great runner when he has the volume of carries necessary, and he's a weapon catching the ball out of the backfield.

What neither of those players' strengths, is the ability to lower their helmet and plow forward on fourth and inches in a critical moment.

Trey Sermon is heavy enough to do that. His running style is most likely to produce that yard in a critical moment or to push the pile forward on a run that is stuck at the point of contact. Again, he's not a number one runner on an NFL team, but he brings a skillset and veracity that the Steelers' running game lacks to begin the 2025 campaign. Needing a win early in the season, it just makes sense to give Sermon a shot on the 53-man roster to see if he can produce any spark.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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