Why Rico Dowdle’s return is good for Jaylen Warren, even if it doesn’t feel like it

Why Rico Dowdle’s return is good for Jaylen Warren, even if it doesn’t feel like it

By Wilson Simons

    Over the last three games, Steelers running back Jaylen Warren turned 61 touches into 490 yards from scrimmage. Against the Colts on Sunday, he put up a career-best 188 scrimmage yards, scored on an 80-yard catch and a 50-yard run, and became just the sixth player in NFL history with both in the same game. The list includes Jim Brown and Gale Sayers, and nobody had done it since Herschel Walker in 1986. Mike McCarthy called him "the man." Steelers insider Mark Kaboly said the team "can't have any semblance of a run share" once Rico Dowdle comes back.

    I get it. When a guy is playing like this, the instinct is to keep feeding him. But with Dowdle expected back this week against Tampa Bay, I'm going to say the unpopular thing: splitting the backfield again is the right call. Not because Warren isn't good enough, but because he's 5-foot-8.

    For years, Steelers fans have watched the team rotate backs around Warren — Najee Harris, Kenneth Gainwell, now Dowdle — and wondered why they never just gave him the job. The answer isn't talent. In the NFL, 5-foot-8 is tiny, and a back that size isn't built to take 20-plus touches a game over a full season.

    Look at what the Steelers have asked of him. Last year was his first as the starter, and he set career highs with 211 carries and 251 total touches across 16 games. That's about 15.7 touches a game, and even then, there were stretches late in the season where he looked worn down and Gainwell took on more of the work, especially as a receiver. The team clearly saw it too. When Gainwell left for Tampa Bay this offseason, the Steelers didn't hand Warren the job. They went out and signed Dowdle, a back McCarthy coached in Dallas who had back-to-back seasons of 274 and 275 touches.

    Now look at what Warren has carried the last three weeks. He had 23 touches in each of the first two games Dowdle missed, and he was on the field for 70 of 72 offensive snaps in Cleveland. He was already questionable with a shoulder injury going into the Cincinnati game. Running backs who get hit that often for that long don't usually hold up, and the hits add up even faster for a smaller back.

    That's the real point of the split. It isn't about taking the ball away from Warren. It's about making sure he's still the guy breaking 80-yard touchdowns in December instead of watching from the sideline with an injury.

    Does that mean Dowdle should get 50 percent of the carries? No. He's averaging 2.5 yards per carry this season, and Warren has been better in every way that matters. Offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio has hinted that Warren's workload will come down, and McCarthy wants the "one-two punch" he originally planned. But McCarthy also said he's "still going to try and get the ball to Jaylen as much as we can," and that's the right balance. Warren should get the lead role, the big moments and the third downs. Dowdle should take the carries that wear a back down: the short-yardage grind, the four-minute drill, the plays where you just need a body to run into a pile.

    There's also a little irony to this week. The Steelers play Tampa Bay on Sunday, which means they'll see Gainwell on the other sideline. Last year, he was the reason Warren got to catch his breath. This year, that job falls to Dowdle.

    Fans are worried Dowdle will limit Warren. He probably will, a little. But if that means Warren is still running like this in January, it's worth it.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The USMNT Isn't a Charity Case Anymore

Byline: Wilson Simons      I came into this World Cup an optimist. I've believed for a while that this is the best version of the U.S. men's national team in a long, long time. Even I didn't expect them to take Paraguay apart the way they did.      Four goals in one game. The 2022 U.S. team scored three across the entire tournament in Qatar. This group matched that and then some before halftime was a distant memory, in front of a roaring home crowd in Los Angeles, against a physical CONMEBOL side that was supposed to be the toughest test in the group defensively. Folarin Balogun scored twice, Gio Reyna iced it with a golazo, and the U.S. controlled the ball, the tempo, and the room. That game woke a lot of people up. The USMNT isn't a charity case anymore. They're legit.      Start with the man at the center of it. Christian Pulisic is, arguably, the best player this country has ever produced, and he's spent a chunk of 2026 in a slump at AC M...
Read more

Joey Porter Jr. is a Dallas Cowboy, and of course he is

Joey Porter Jr. is a Dallas Cowboy, and of course he is By: Wilson Simons Update: The Steelers received a 2028 1st round pick, not 2027 like I assumed, My thoughts on that will be below this initial article.      The Steelers have traded Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys. Tom Pelissero reported late Wednesday that the two teams were finalizing the deal, and Ari Meirov reported that Pittsburgh's return is a package that includes a second-round pick. The rest of the package hasn't been reported yet, so I'm reserving a little bit of hope that "and more" means something real.      If you've been following this saga, the destination isn't a surprise. It's practically tradition. George Pickens went to Dallas. Broderick Jones went to Dallas. Mike McCarthy came from Dallas. The Khan-Jones pipeline is the busiest trade route in the NFL, and it only runs one way: Pittsburgh's talent heads south, and Pittsburgh fans head to therapy.      Porter neve...
Read more

Worst Case Scenario Game as Steelers lose to Patriots 20-3

     FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Pittsburgh Steelers' leading receiver Sunday was Germie Bernard, a rookie who had played three offensive snaps in his career. He finished with 35 yards.      That was the high-water mark in a 20-3 loss to the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium, one in which Pittsburgh had more first downs than New England, held the ball seven minutes longer, and never reached the end zone. The Patriots, who did not throw a touchdown pass, evened their record at 1-1. So did the Steelers.      Aaron Rodgers finished 23 of 40 for 187 yards with no touchdowns, an interception and a 59.1 passer rating. He was sacked four times for 43 yards, leaving Pittsburgh with 144 net passing yards and 235 yards of total offense. The Steelers punted seven times.      The play that ended it came 14 seconds into the fourth quarter. Christian Barmore came free off the edge, knocked the ball from Rodgers' hands at the Pittsburgh 19...
Read more