Pass blocking an appreciated part of Jaylen Warren’s play for Steelers
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It didn’t matter to Jaylen Warren that he was giving up 9 inches and 40 pounds to Maxx Crosby.
Didn’t matter that he was bracing to block one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers.
Didn’t matter that he was a former undrafted free agent going up against a two-time Pro Bowl selection.
The 5-foot-8, 216-pound Warren wasn’t about to allow the decorated Las Vegas Raiders defensive end to touch Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett on this third-down pass play in the first quarter last Sunday night.
Warren stood his ground and stopped the hard-charging Crosby from collapsing the pocket. That gave Pickett ample time to connect with Calvin Austin on a 72-yard touchdown pass that tied the score and began a run of 23 unanswered points in a 23-18 victory.
“With the bigger guys, you’ve got to hit them harder than people who aren’t that size,” Warren said. “You’re going to get run over if you don’t.”
The way Warren popped Crosby and prevented a possible sack or pass breakup drew wows from the NBC commentators on the nationally televised game. To those inside the Steelers locker room, it wasn’t a surprise.
Take inside linebacker Elandon Roberts. He ended up on the wrong side of a Warren block in training camp when coach Mike Tomlin held his traditional “backs on backers” drill. It calls for a running back to keep a pursuing linebacker away from the quarterback. It is designed for the running back to be at a disadvantage.
Not on this day. Roberts had his way with other backs, but he couldn’t get past Warren.
“He’s small, but he’s compact,” Roberts said. “He’s got good leverage. We went together, and I laughed because he won and at the end, he slammed me to the ground.”
Roberts paused, smiled and corrected himself to save face.
“Or I tripped to the ground,” he said. “I just laughed about it. I like that. It’s about (not) being complacent. People like Jaylen, you get a little complacent, they’ll shock you.”
Warren began shocking Steelers defenders in 2022 at his first training camp when the undrafted free agent from Oklahoma State held his own against Mark Robinson and Robert Spillane the first time Tomlin put the backs against the linebackers.
By the time Warren was paired against Roberts this spring, the diminutive running back’s success was anticipated.
“That’s really consistent with what he’s done since he’s been here,” Tomlin said when asked about the block on Crosby. “His blitz pickup has always been exciting and exceptional.”
It is one of the reasons Warren earned a spot on the 53-man roster a year ago and moved ahead of players such as Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland on the depth chart. It didn’t hurt, of course, that Warren also had a knack for finding holes when he carried the football or showed he was adept at catching passes out of the backfield.
“Jaylen became Jaylen because of his amazing blitz pickup,” offensive coordinator Matt Canada said. “When you go back to last year as he came in here and nobody knew about him … his ability to pick up blitzes is elite.”
It’s ironic Warren has excelled in pass protection because he believes that trait is what kept him from being selected in the 2022 draft.
“If you’re better at pass protection, we probably would have drafted you,” Warren said in August 2022 after his blocking skills became evident. “That’s what they were telling me. So I’ve been working at that, and it’s helping me a lot. I am getting more comfortable with it.”
Warren also has gotten comfortable with an increased role in the Steelers offense. After playing 31% of the offensive snaps last year as Najee Harris’ backup, Warren has been on the field for 44% of the plays through three weeks.
He has thrived in his role as the third-down back as evidenced by his 12 receptions for 101 yards. Only George Pickens, with 13, has more receptions. And Warren also has more scrimmage yards (156) than Harris (141).
“Long term, how that balances out, it’s not a major focus,” Canada said. “We want to be balanced to a point, but obviously Najee is our guy, and he’s going to have the workload and the majority of carries in a lot of instances. But we think Jaylen is a great talent. When he spells Najee, good things happen, too.”
Particularly when it comes to the dirty work that comes with pass protection.
“I don’t see it as being bad,” Warren said. “They say there is going to be something you hate about your job. I don’t say that. Blitz pickup — I like the physicality of it.”
Opposing defensive players are taking notice, too.
“There are times I hit a D-lineman, and they’ll be like, ‘Good hit 3-0,’ ” he said. “They give me props for the way I play.”
And Crosby?
“He didn’t say anything.”