Well, not always with Warren. He made the roster as an undrafted rookie and not only won the backup job behind Harris, but forced his way onto the field as a third-down back.
The Steelers talked in the offseason and training camp about lessening the workload on Harris, who got 381 touches as a rookie in 2021 (307 carries, 74 receptions) and they did that with his touches falling to 313 this season. He still produced 1,263 total yards, down from 1,667 as a rookie, but much of that can be attributed to the slow start and his overall usage in the passing game. Harris saw his receptions fall from 74 in 2021 to 41 this season.
The emergence of Warren allowed the Steelers to do that. The rookie gained 379 yards rushing on 77 attempts and also had 28 receptions for 214 yards.
Together, he and Harris formed a nice 1-2 punch, particularly in the second half of the season.
Benny Snell didn’t get as much work as he had in previous seasons after being passed on the depth chart by Warren, but he did gain 90 yards on 20 carries, all of which came in a three-game stretch between Weeks 12 and 14 when Warren was dealing with a hamstring issue.
Snell rushed for 90 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries. Snell is a valuable special teams player, finishing with 284 snaps on that unit, far more than the 42 he played on offense.
The same could be said of fullback Derek Watt, though he did play 77 offensive snaps, just five fewer than he had played in 2021. Watt tied for the team lead with 290 special teams snaps and also set career highs for rushes (9), rushing yards (21) and receptions (5). Watt was especially useful in short-yardage situations, as eight of his nine carries resulted in first downs. He also scored two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving.
According to Pro Football Focus, Harris produced 55 missed tackles forced in 2022, which ranked as the sixth-most in the NFL. Warren forced 19 missed tackles, giving the Steelers’ two primary running backs 74.
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