The Pittsburgh Steelers' offense couldn't find much of a rhythm in 2025 and ranked near the bottom of the league in total rushing yards. Their 4.3 yards per carry was in the middle of the pack too, and the team did not have a 1,000-yard rusher. However, starting running back Jaylen Warren put up a career-high in rushing yards with 958 while splitting a backfield with Kenneth Gainwell. Warren got his first taste of being a starting running back and showed flashes of being a good option. Now that Gainwell has departed in free agency, Pittsburgh signed another running back to aid Warren in Rico Dowdle.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers running back Jaylen Warren runs with the football during Pittsburgh's 13-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 17 of the 2025 NFL regular season.
Dowdle is coming off a great year with the Carolina Panthers, where he rushed for 1,076 yards and six touchdowns. It was his second year in a row rushing for over 1,000 yards, and he'll come into the Steel City to form a formidable two-headed monster with Warren. Though the Steelers didn't hand the keys to Warren for a full bell cow role, he performs much better in flashes with his explosiveness. The split for Warren and Dowdle is still unclear, but the Black and Gold have two more than capable backs to help reinvigorate the run game.
Both Dowdle and Warren are players who make defenders miss and aren't afraid to run someone over. The offense is hoping to get back to relying on a steady run game, and this tandem should allow it to do that. However, analyst Warren Sharp ranked the running back room as the 20th-best in the NFL, a number that should shock fans, considering that there are two amazing running backs on the team.
"The Steelers have depth in the backfield, but do they have enough juice to scare anybody? When avoiding contact in the backfield, Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle only ranked 23rd and 25th, respectively, out of 49 qualifiers in the rate of gaining 10 or more yards," Sharp wrote.
The stats that Sharp are referring to point to the fact that the two Steelers backs lacked big runs, even when avoiding contact at the point of attack. The ranking seems harsh, as Warren broke off two huge runs for touchdowns against the Detroit Lions alone in 2025.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) during a preseason game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Carolina Panthers, on Thursday, August 21, 2025, in Charlotte, NC.
The Steelers have made it a point that they want to get back to a powerful running game. With a new offensive-minded head coach, that seems obtainable. Warren has shown spurts in his career of dominance, and with Dowdle taking some of the load off, there's no reason the run game shouldn't be a strong point of the team in 2026. Dowdle shared running back responsibilities in Carolina too, and he still ran for over 1,000 yards. The two will complement one another and give defenses different looks to worry about each week.
The Steelers' Running Game Will Benefit Not Just From Talent Alone
The team has two talented running backs and has intriguing depth behind them as well. However, Head Coach Mike McCarthy's focus on the offense and retooling the scheme will be a huge benefit. McCarthy will change the way the Steelers administer their offense through interesting looks to confuse the opposition.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers QB Will Howard hands the football off to running back Rico Dowdle during the voluntary veteran offseason workouts.
Not to mention, the Black and Gold have a young and improving offensive line unit. If the group plays up to their ability, it will only help Warren and Dowdle be the big-play backs that they can be. The team has no excuse but to be a better running team, especially in a physically demanding division like the AFC North. Pittsburgh will have to play through the elements at times in 2026, and being a tough running team will help them win in those moments.
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