Steelers' Jaylen Warren Earns Remarkable Midseason Honor From PFF

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of stars, from TJ Watt to Aaron Rodgers. However, at the midpoint of the 2026 season, the best player on the team, by one major measure, is the running back who spent years splitting carries. Pro Football Focus released its midseason report on Monday, and Jaylen Warren came out as Pittsburgh's highest-graded player. It's the latest sign that Warren has turned into one of the NFL's best backs.

PFF's Bradley Locker named the highest-graded player on every team, and Warren's 87.3 overall grade topped the Steelers. His 91.1 rushing grade is the best of any running back in the league.

Locker wrote that Warren has "finally been let loose in Mike McCarthy's offense," and the numbers back it up. Warren is averaging 4.14 yards after contact per attempt and has 11 runs of 15 yards or more. He has also been a weapon in the passing game, with 1.70 yards per route run and 14.2 yards after the catch per reception. In other words, the first defender rarely brings Warren down, and when a tackler misses, he is a threat to turn a routine carry or a checkdown into a big play.

His season totals are just as strong. According to PFF's player page, Warren has 119 carries for 704 yards and two touchdowns. His 5.9 yards per carry rank first among 51 qualifying running backs. He has also caught 25 passes for 294 yards and a touchdown, the second-most receiving yards among backs.

That is quite a rise for a player who went undrafted out of Oklahoma State in 2022 and spent his early years as the backup to Najee Harris. Now Warren isn't just the Steelers' lead back. By PFF's measure, he is the best runner in football at the halfway point, and his name has started to come up in national award conversations. SteelerNation broke down Warren's bold impact on the AFC North race last week.

Steelers Teammates Have Been Saying It For Weeks

The PFF grade only confirmed what the Steelers' locker room has been saying. Before the bye, Warren had 998 yards from scrimmage, second-most in the NFL, and his teammates lined up to praise him to Steelers.com's Teresa Varley.

"Jaylen is on fire. He's hot as a firecracker."

That was Head Coach Mike McCarthy, via Steelers.com. Watt had his own description.

"He's a bowling ball with teeth," Watt said.

Wide receiver DK Metcalf said Warren "runs like a bat out of hell," and offensive lineman Troy Fautanu kept it simple: "He is a dawg." Center Zach Frazier pointed to the part of Warren's game that doesn't show up in rushing totals, calling him "probably one of the best blocking running backs in the NFL." SteelerNation also covered how Watt explained what makes Warren so hard to tackle.

Warren's best game came in the win over the Cleveland Browns before the bye. He ran 17 times for 143 yards, including a 51-yard run, and scored a touchdown. Afterward, McCarthy said the Steelers have "two dynamic backs" and added, "You can't get him the ball enough," according to Steelers.com.

Rodgers, who has seen plenty of great players in 22 seasons, put Warren in elite company.

"He's put himself in all the conversations," Rodgers said. "He's playing incredible."

Warren, as usual, gave the credit to the players around him. "Just playing with the boys I play with," he said. "I wouldn't want to be part of any other team." SteelerNation laid out the strong case for Warren as one of the league's best after that game.

The timing of the honor matters, too. The Steelers return from their bye to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night, with first place in the AFC North on the line. PFF named Joe Burrow as Cincinnati's highest-graded player at 93.7, so the game will put both teams' top-graded players on the same field.

For Pittsburgh, the plan is clear. A steady run game keeps Burrow on the sideline, and right now no back in the league is running better than Warren. If he keeps this pace in Cincinnati, the national awards talk will only get louder.

This story was produced with the help of AI and reviewed by SteelerNation editors.

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