There could be something wrong with the knee of Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren, in addition to his recently injured hamstring.
Warren underwent an MRI on his knee after being pulled from Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers by head coach Mike Tomlin. Tomlin said that Warren didn’t look right to him, and that’s why he took the team’s second running back out of the game.
“Jaylen Warren wasn’t able to finish there late in the second half,” Tomlin said. “I pulled him from the game. It just didn’t look like he was running smoothly. We’ll evaluate him.”
Warren had been dealing with a preseason hamstring injury that had limited him in Week 1. He had just two carries and two targets in the passing game in the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
In Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, that role grew. Warren carried the ball nine times for 42 yards, caught two more passes, and it seemed like he was nearing a normal workload. Warren told Steelers Now in between Week 2 and Week 3 that he thought his hamstring was fully healed.
But something else has apparently cropped up. Warren had an MRI on his knee after the game, according to a report by Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.
That suggests another injury or a potential side effect of trying to play through the hamstring issue. Either way, it’s a bad sign for Warren’s future availability.
The Steelers are also dealing with an unknown arm injury to starting running back Najee Harris. Harris was seen in a sling in the team’s locker room on Monday.
Cordarrelle Patterson is the team’s third running back, and he was the one spelling Harris late in the game against the Chargers. He ran well, rushing four times for 33 yards.
If one of Harris or Warren is unable to play, expect the Steelers to elevate running back Jonathan Ward from the practice squad. Ward has played in 42 career NFL games with the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS INJURY REPORT
Player | Injury | Date | Prognosis | Roster Status |
RB Najee Harris | Right arm | Sept. 22 | TBD | Active vs LAC |
RB Jaylen Warren | Knee | Sept. 22 | TBD | DNF vs. LAC |
OLB Alex Highsmith | Groin | Sept. 22 | TBD | DNF vs. LAC |
CB Cory Trice Jr. | Hamstring | Sept. 22 | TBD | DNF vs. LAC |
RT Troy Fautanu | Right knee dislocation | Sept. 20 | Regular season | Injured reserve |
TE MyCole Pruitt | Right knee | Sept. 15 | Week to week | DNP vs. LAC |
WR Ben Skowronek | Shoulder | Sept. 15 | Four weeks | Injured reserve |
LB Tyler Matakevich | Hamstring | Sept. 15 | Four weeks | Injured reserve |
P Cameron Johnston | Right leg | Sept. 8 | Out for season | Injured reserve |
QB Russell Wilson | Calf tightness | Sept. 5 | Day to day | Emerg. QB vs LAC |
LG Isaac Seumalo | Pectoral strain | Aug. 28 | Week to week | DNP vs. LAC |
SS Ryan Watts | Neck stinger | Aug. 24 | Out for season | Injured reserve |
DL Logan Lee | Calf | Aug. 20 | One weeks | Injured reserve |
OLB Jeremiah Moon | Right ankle | Aug. 17 | One weeks | IR-Return |
OT Dylan Cook | Left foot | Aug. 17 | Multiple weeks | IR-Return |
C Nate Herbig | Torn rotator cuff | Aug. 14 | Out for season | Injured reserve |
OLB David Perales | Left MCL tear | July 31 | Out for season | Injured reserve |
WR Roman Wilson | Left ankle sprain | July 30 | Day to day | DNP vs. LAC |
ILB Cole Holcomb | Left knee | Nov. 2, 2023 | Two weeks | PUP/reserve |