Jaylen Warren Bio
Derrell Jaylen Warren, born on November 1, 1998, is an American professional football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Warren grew up in Clinton, North Carolina, before moving to Utah, where he built one of the most productive high school careers in state history. Since signing with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2022, he has emerged as a reliable dual-threat back in the Steelers offense, earning a starting role and a contract extension through 2027.
Warren’s path to the NFL was unconventional, spanning three college programs, including a junior college stop, a Mountain West tenure, and a final season in the Big 12. His perseverance, vision, and pass-catching ability have helped him thrive in a pro-style system. Standing 5 ft 8 in and listed at 215 lb, Warren is a compact, powerful runner who pairs contact balance with sharp route-running skills out of the backfield.
Early Life and Background
Warren was born in Clinton, North Carolina, on November 1, 1998. He later relocated to Utah, where he attended East High School in Salt Lake City. As a senior in 2016, Warren rushed for 3,099 yards, breaking a 37-year-old single-season state rushing record previously held by Kelly Smith, and became the first player in Utah high school history to surpass the 3,000-yard mark in a single season.
During that 2016 campaign, Warren rushed for 38 touchdowns, eclipsed 100 rushing yards in all 14 games, and posted 200-yard performances in 12 contests. He helped lead the East Leopards to a 14–0 record and a second consecutive Class 4A state championship. His senior production drew attention from college programs despite his relatively late recruitment profile.
Path to American Football
Warren began his college career at Snow College, a junior college in Utah, where his performance in 2018 established him as one of the top community college backs in the country. In only nine games, he piled up 1,435 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging 159.4 yards per game, numbers that earned him the NJCAA National Offensive Player of the Year award and NJCAA First-team All-American honors. Those honors fueled his recruitment to the FBS level.
In 2019, Warren transferred to Utah State, where he finished second on the team with 569 rushing yards and recorded a 141-yard performance against Wake Forest in his Division I debut. A COVID-19-shortened 2020 season limited him to three games, but he still led the Aggies with 252 rushing yards and three touchdowns, earning Academic All-Mountain West Conference recognition in both of his Utah State seasons.
Seeking a featured role for his senior season, Warren transferred to Oklahoma State in 2021. He started the final 12 games, rushing for 1,216 yards and 11 touchdowns, and was named Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year. His 218-yard, two-touchdown performance against Boise State, which included a 75-yard scoring run, served as a defining audition for NFL scouts.
Jaylen Warren Career
Early Career (2022)
Warren signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2022, capping a long road that included three college stops. After an impressive training camp and preseason, he made the final roster on August 31, 2022. It was later revealed that Warren is a cousin of former Steelers running back Willie Parker, who had also entered the league as an undrafted free agent.
As a rookie, Warren earned his first professional start in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals. He scored his first career touchdown on December 18, 2022, on a two-yard run in a 24–16 win over the Carolina Panthers. He finished his rookie year with 77 carries for 379 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown, adding 28 receptions for 214 receiving yards, and showing the pass-catching profile that has since become central to his role.
2023 Breakout Season
Warren’s 2023 campaign marked his emergence as a key piece of the Steelers offense. After a slow start, he recorded his first touchdown of the season in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams. By Week 12, he was named the starting running back over Najee Harris against the Green Bay Packers, rushing for 101 yards and a touchdown to log his first career 100-yard game.
He followed that performance with a 129-yard, one-touchdown game against the Cleveland Browns, highlighted by a 74-yard scoring run. Warren added another key performance in a must-win Week 17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, opening the scoring on an 18-yard touchdown run. He closed the regular season with 149 carries for 789 rushing yards and four touchdowns, plus 61 receptions for 370 receiving yards, totaling 1,229 all-purpose yards across 17 games. In the AFC Wild Card round, he added eight carries for 38 yards in a 31–17 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
2024 Season
In 2024, Warren and Harris were praised by head coach Mike Tomlin as strong-minded runners. Warren battled a preseason hamstring injury but returned for Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons. His most productive outing came in a 28–27 victory over the Washington Commanders, where he logged 95 all-purpose yards, the closest he came to the century mark before late in the year. He scored his first touchdown of the season on November 21, 2024, in a Monday Night Football loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Warren finished the regular season with 120 carries for 511 rushing yards and one touchdown, helping Pittsburgh to a 10–7 record and another playoff berth. In the AFC Wild Card round against the Baltimore Ravens, he added two carries for six yards and four receptions for 19 yards in a 28–14 season-ending loss.
Pittsburgh Steelers Era (2025–Present)
Warren’s role changed dramatically in 2025. After the team declined to re-sign Harris, Warren became the unquestioned starting running back. He re-signed with Pittsburgh on a one-year restricted free agent tender worth $5.3 million on April 22, 2025, and on September 1, he signed a two-year contract extension running through the 2027 season. Pittsburgh also added depth behind him in the form of Kenneth Gainwell and Kaleb Johnson.
On the field, Warren battled a knee injury that kept him out of the Week 4 game in Ireland, but he returned after the Week 5 bye. He then posted 158 scrimmage yards in a Week 7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, and closed the regular season strong with 14 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 16 win over the Detroit Lions. Warren finished 2025 with 211 carries for 958 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, plus 40 receptions for 333 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Driving Style and Strengths
Warren is best known for his balance, pad level, and ability to absorb contact despite his 5 ft 8 in frame. He excels in pass protection and route-running, making him a three-down option in the Steelers offense. His vision and cut-back instincts are most effective on zone and inside-zone concepts, while his reliable hands out of the backfield create mismatches against linebackers.
Notable Events and Milestones
Warren’s milestone moments include breaking Utah’s 37-year-old high school rushing record in 2016, scoring his first NFL touchdown in December 2022, and surpassing 100 rushing yards for the first time in 2023 against Green Bay. He also became a lead back for the Steelers in 2025, signing a contract extension through 2027 and finishing with career-best production in rushing yards and touchdowns.
Jaylen Warren Career Wins
While running backs do not accumulate wins in the traditional sense, Warren’s career is defined by production milestones and key victories. Through the 2025 season, he has piled up 2,632 career rushing yards, 1,227 receiving yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, and two receiving touchdowns, along with appearances in two AFC Wild Card playoff games.
Steelers Highlights
Warren scored his first career rushing touchdown in a 24–16 win over the Carolina Panthers in 2022. In 2023, he posted his first 100-yard game against the Green Bay Packers and added a 129-yard effort against the Cleveland Browns. He opened the scoring on an 18-yard touchdown run in a Week 17 win over the Seattle Seahawks that kept Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes alive. In 2025, he delivered a two-touchdown, 143-yard performance in a 29–24 win over the Detroit Lions.
Other Wins and Performances
Warren’s college résumé includes a 14–0 state championship season at East High School in 2016, a 2018 NJCAA national award-winning campaign at Snow College, and a 2021 Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year season at Oklahoma State highlighted by a 218-yard game against Boise State.
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Jaylen Warren Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Warren is of partial Samoan descent and is a cousin of former NFL running back Willie Parker. Parker famously signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent, a route that Warren mirrored years later, strengthening a notable family connection to the franchise.
Personal Life
Warren was raised between Clinton, North Carolina, and Salt Lake City, Utah, and maintains ties to both regions. His journey from a small-town upbringing to a starting role in the NFL has been a defining theme of his personal story, and he remains connected to family and community roots on both coasts of his football life.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season represented Warren’s first true season as a featured back, following Najee Harris’s departure in free agency. He signed a contract extension through 2027 and entered the year as the clear starter, though a knee injury briefly sidelined him in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings in Ireland. He returned after the Week 5 bye and quickly reasserted himself as a dual-threat contributor.
Warren’s production trended upward as the year progressed. He delivered a 158-scrimmage-yard performance in a Week 7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and closed the regular season with a two-touchdown, 143-yard outing against the Detroit Lions. He finished 2025 with 211 carries for 958 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, plus 40 receptions for 333 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns, all career highs.
With the Steelers offense built around his skills as a runner and receiver, Warren is positioned to remain Pittsburgh’s lead back heading into 2026. His extension through 2027, combined with his expanded role and continued production, gives the Steelers a known commodity at the position as they continue to build around quarterback play and offensive line development.
