Two-year extension for Jaylen Warren

Keep fighting that battle. Maybe someday the Steelers will realize their mistake and bring Harris back for a redux season.

 

A total of two posters who are challenged by reality from what I can tell

 

What claims am I making that I can't support?

You said snap count earlier.

Now you're moving your goal posts.

If you're argument is that they gave Najee more snaps when Warren was nursing an injury, I agree with you.

But there wasn't a clear win for Najee in snaps (the metric you said proved your point) once Warren got healthy.

If the "coaches knew Harris was the better back" why would the score in the playoff game matter?

Could it be that they viewed them as pretty equal with different strengths and weaknesses? That Najee's role was more about grinding things out and not fumbling? But if you wanted to score points you'd put Warren on the field?

I wonder if anyone in this thread was making those specific arguments?

Edited to add: Why do you think that the score effects in the playoffs only mattered in the Rats game? Sadly, we have more evidence of our Steelers getting blown out in the playoffs. For example, in 2023 we got smoked by the Bills. In that game Najee had significantly more snaps than Warren (as I noted in my previous post).

What do you think changed from 2023 to 2024 to change how the coaches split snaps for Najee and Warren?

 

I wouldn't say terrible. But he was a disappointment.

A good example of why picking a RB in the 1st round is generally not a good idea.

Although in fairness, IIRC it wasn't a great draft in general and the other players I think we wanted (specifically an OT) were gone.

 

This is what I agree with. Not even sign him long term ,but just take the 5th year ,and let him go, and then we don't waste a 3rd round pick on a RB that couldn't stay on the field.

 

Gainwell was a more explosive and diverse player than Warren and Harris ever were. Gainwell, Dowdle and Warren would have been a helluva RB room. I know it was either Dowdle or Gainwell... but Gainwell looks to be the better RB in the long run. KJ will probably get cut unless something miraculous happens in year two.

 

I agree. It's better to pick a RB in the 2nd round or later, unless they are very exceptional prospects, e.g., Bo Jackson, Barry Sanders, Tony Dorsett...

 

I wasn't on this board at the time.

I didn't want us to sign Najee to the option. I wouldn't have been upset if we did. I thought it was kind of a "meh" decision. Unlike Jones this year, which was a much harder no IMO.

I did want us to try to extend him at around the option price (or less) with fewer guarantees (basically a similar contract to the one we gave Warren).

The team could have done that (at least him taking less than we gave to Warren suggests we could have)*.

But they chose to get a RB off the scrap heap instead.

Gainwell is proof that picking up cheap RBs from the scrap heap is a reasonable thing to do to get good value. Just like Warren is a good example that picking up RBs as UDFAs is a reasonable strategy to get good value. It seems like it's not all that hard to find a RB to contribute for a season. But it is hard for RBs to stay healthy and contribute over the medium term. Which is why cheap, low-term options are a good idea at RB IMO.

If your RB isn't a game breaker, don't pay him big money. FWIW, I also would have been fine letting Warren walk instead of extending him. He is also not a game changing back. Looks to me like Dowdle is in the same boat. Nice pieces, but not worth spending a lot of money on IMO. No where near the guys who I think deserve big money (Henry, CMac, Chubb before he got hurt, etc.).

* Aside: We didn't do that with Najee. But we're essentially doing it this year with Dowdle and Warren. I like that we are making the team more resiliant to injury at the RB position, but I am a little dissapointed that we basically gave up on Johnson without ever giving him a chance because (a) Gainwell was such a great fit for what we needed last year and (b) Dowdle is the coach's favorite for MM...and I'm a little soured on coach's favorites after AS gave us Patterson and J Smith in the last two years.

 

Nah. I wanted him gone after 2025 regardless of what happened, and that was before the Achilles injury. I'm still happy to keep debunking this nonsensical idea that the Steelers gave Harris every start and significantly more snaps and touches for two years even though they thought he wasn't their best back. lol

 

Gainwell was a lucky break, having a below-average backup suddenly play far better than he ever had in his career.

Also, they didn't just choose to get a replacement off the scrap heap. They spent a third-round pick on a back they clearly hoped could fill the void, but Johnson has been a bust.

I wouldn't want to give big money to Warren or Dowdle, but I'm happy with them as the short-term answers at running back. I think they will be a good tandem for 2026.

 

I'm not moving the goalposts at all. The score matters if they are forced to throw more, which means their third-down back is going to be on the field. I never said they viewed some huge gap between Harris and Warren. There wasn't one. They were comparable players, but Harris was the one they chose as their primary bac.

The answer regarding the 2023 playoff game is simple. It was played in bad weather. Remember, we had just seen Warren struggle to hold on to the ball in poor conditions in the final game of the regular season. This was the very next week. Also, the game was closer than the loss to the Ravens the following season. The Steelers were down 14 at the half, not 21, and cut the lead to 11 in the third quarter.