Locals in the NFL: Jaylen Warren building toward career year with Steelers
Oct 2, 2026, 5:05 PM
Pittsburgh Steelers running back continued his fast start to 2026 with a big game against the Cleveland Browns. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – Is former East High Leopard Jaylen Warren turning into one of the most reliable dual-purpose backs in the NFL?
Four games into the 2026 season, the Salt Lake City native is putting together what could become a career year.
After setting career highs on the ground in his first season as Pittsburgh’s starting running back, Warren is showing he can do more than add rushing yards. His steady production between the tackles and as a receiving option for veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers has made him a consistent part of the offense during Pittsburgh’s 2-2 start.
RELATED: Jaylen Warren delivers memorable performance for Steelers
Jaylen Warren is on pace for 1,922 scrimmage yards this year
The last time a Steeler had 1,900+ scrimmage yards in a season was Le’Veon Bell in 2017 pic.twitter.com/H8oQvwFv1M
— Underdog (@Underdog) October 2, 2026
RELATED STORIES
About Jaylen Warren
Before college, Warren was a standout for the East High Leopards.
He later played for Snow College and Utah State. During two seasons with the Aggies, Warren carried 151 times for 821 yards and eight touchdowns.
After the 2020 season, he transferred to Oklahoma State. In his lone season with the Cowboys, Warren rushed for 1,216 yards and 11 touchdowns on 256 carries, helping Oklahoma State reach the Big 12 championship game.
He capped his college career with 19 carries for 82 yards in the Cowboys’ Fiesta Bowl win over No. 5 Notre Dame.
Locals in the NFL: Jaylen Warren delivers memorable performance for Steelers
Jaylen Warren makes me so happy pic.twitter.com/A7NTGocA3H
— Chris Ferland 🐝 (@chris_ferland) October 2, 2026
Warren signed with Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL draft. As a rookie, he rushed for 379 yards and a touchdown while adding 28 catches for 214 yards.
His workload grew in 2023, when he carried 149 times for 784 yards and four touchdowns. He followed that with 511 rushing yards and 310 receiving yards in 2024 before taking over as Pittsburgh’s starter in 2025.
Now, the former Leopard is building on that opportunity.
Four games won’t settle where Warren belongs among the NFL’s best dual-purpose backs, but he is giving Pittsburgh production in both parts of the offense. Finding the end zone is the next step in turning a promising start into a career year.
About Locals in the NFL
For over five years, KSL Sports has covered NFL players with ties to the state of Utah.
Whether they attended Utah or BYU or grew up in the Beehive State, we keep you up to date on how the locals are performing on the biggest stage.
From highlights to trades and other breaking news, check out our Locals In The NFL coverage here.
Take us with you, wherever you go.
Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in the NFL, Locals in MLB, and the Utah State Aggies. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
Parts of this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team.
