Tag Archives: Jonathan Ward

Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 Draft Needs @ Running Back – High

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It used to be, that going into the  NFL Draft the question wasn’t, “Will a running back be taken in the first round?” but “How many?”

And if you think that’s Baby Boomer or Generation X nostalgia, consider that in the 2008 NFL Draft, 5 running backs went in the first round, followed by 3 over the next two years, which maintained the historical average.

Times have changed.

When the Steelers took Najee Harris in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, eyes rolled and critics charged that Kevin Colbert was behind the times. They might have been on to something. The Steelers let Harris go without a fight in free agency.

But the 2025 NFL Draft is said to be running back rich, and the running game is seeing a bit of a resurgence in the NFL. So might Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin draft another running back in the first round here in 2025?

Jaylen Warren, Robert Spillane, Steelers vs Raiders

Former Friends: Robert Spillane tries to tackle Jaylen Warren. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Steelers Depth Cart at Running Back: The Starter

One of the reasons why the Steelers were so willing to let Najee Harris leave in free agency is because Jaylen Warren has been waiting in the wings. Warren first made the Steelers roster as part of the 2022 undrafted rookie free agent class, where he won the third-down back role in training camp.

During his first two years Warren played well enough that both fans and press to call for him to start over Harris, particularly in the early going of the 2022 and 2023 seasons when Harris suffered from slow starts.

In 3 years with the Steelers Jaylen Warren has proven himself to be a running back who hits holes decisively. And, while it doesn’t get talked about much, Warren has proven to be an effective pass catcher capable of transforming check down passes into far bigger gains.

The Steelers gave Warren a restricted free agent tender that kept him with the team, giving him what amounts to a “prove it year.”

And Warren does have something to prove. He’s never had more than 15 carries in a game, and he’s got an alarmingly high fumble rate.

Steelers Running Back Depth Chart: The Backups

Cordarrelle Patterson heads up the Steelers depth chart at running back behind Jaylen Warren. Yes, that’s right, Patterson remains on the Steelers roster, surprisingly, as he was expected to be a cap casualty. Patterson only had 32 carries in 2024, but he ran extremely well in limited duty in the win against the Raiders and the loss to the Colts.

The Steelers signed Kenneth Gainwell in free agency. Gainwell had 3 strong years with the Eagles as a third down back, although his production did slip in his 4th season. Still, he brings 66 games, 280 carries, 102 catches of experience to Pittsburgh.

Also on the roster were Jonathan Ward and Aaron Shampklin who were practice squanders for the Steelers in 2024 and saw spot duty. Rounding out the group is Evan Hull, who spent 2023 and 2024 on the Colts’ practice squad getting into one game, for one carry and one yard. But, according to Steel City Insider’s Roy Countryman, Hull has legitimate “upside” as “an explosive runner (4.47 40) with quick feet who does not shy away from contact.”

The Steelers 2023 Draft Needs @ Running Back

Arthur Smith is an offensive coordinator he believes in the ground game. When he was at Tennessee under Mike Vrabel, it was often said that he ran a “Bill Cowher-style offense.”

  • The Pittsburgh’s running back room is not ready to meet that standard.

Jaylen Warren has flashed he can be a legitimate NFL RB Number 1, but he hasn’t proven it. And as Mike Tomlin seems to be open to doing something other than rushing his running backs “until the wheels fall off” the Steelers need to add a starter-capable running back.

Neither Gainwell nor Patterson fit that bill, the Steelers needs at running back going into the 2025 NFL Draft must be considered High.

 

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Steelers Report Card for Win over Raiders – Business of Winning Edition

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher pleased to see his students back to the business of winning here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2024 win over the Raiders.

Najee Harris, Steelers vs Raiders

Najee Harris dives for a 36-yard touchdown. Photo Credit: AP via Tribune-Review

Quarterback
Justin Fields went 14-24-0-0 for 145 yards through the air while running 11 times for 59 yards, including 2 touchdowns and several first-down scrambles. Although Fields turned in a winning performance his legs rather than his arm was his biggest weapon. He had an ugly interception erased by a penalty, and he erased a touchdown pass by throwing from way beyond the line of scrimmage and threw a terrible lateral that should have been a turn over. While he did make a couple of nice throws, he also missed a couple of key targets, and the Steelers only had to punt 3 times, they also only went 4-13 on third downs. Grade: CSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
This was the Najee Harris we’ve been waiting for. Harris ran 14 times for 106 yards and a touchdown. Even if you take out his 36-yard touchdown run, he was still averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Harris was hitting the holes with more authority and forcing the piles forward. Jaylen Warren had 6 carries for 7 yards, but he did bail Fields out on a blown lateral and was strong in run blocking. Aaron Shampklin and Jonathan Ward combined for 4 carries. Grade: A-

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward combined for 4 catches for 26 yards and the tight ends came up big in the blocking game. Grade: B

Wide Receivers
The Steelers wide receivers combined for 5 passes for 88 yards, with 31 of those coming on a stat-padding play to George Pickens late in the game. Calvin Austin had the other two catches for those of you taking notes for next week’s fantasy football starts. All of this isn’t on the receivers, but the Steelers clearly need more here. A lot more. Grade: D

Offensive Line
The running backs enjoyed their best run blocking of perhaps the entire season, and this is in no way coincidental with the fact that the Steelers were able to field the same 5 offensive lineman (until Zach Frazier got hurt, that is.) Still, Justin Fields got sacked 3 times and had to run out of pressure on several others. Grade: C+

Defensive Line
The Steelers shut down the Raiders rushing attack, and that starts with the defensive line. Cam Heyward led the unit with 4 tackles and a critical sack, while Keeanu Benton batted down a pass and covered first forced fumble. Grade: B+

Linebackers
The Raiders held T.J. Watt all day, but Watt continued to wreak havoc, making tackles behind the line of scrimmage and making not one, but two game-changing forced fumbles. Elandon Roberts had another strong game and Payton Wilson continues to quietly carve a role for himself in this offense. Jeremiah Moon wasn’t a liability – not bad given his status as 5th stringer. Grade: A

Secondary
DeShon Elliott made a heads up play in recovering and returning the second fumble for 10 yards, and Donte Jackson helped seal victory with his third interception of the season. Why where both of these guys so easy to acquire? The Raiders had a nice opening drive that made it look like it was going to be a long afternoon. At the end of the day it was a long afternoon – for Las Vegas as the Raiders went 2-11 on third downs. Grade: A-

Special Teams
Chris Boswell went 4 of 4 on field goals including the first two which went for 52 and 49 yards respectively. Jaylen Warren returned the opening kick off far enough that the Raiders didn’t let him do it again. Minkah Fitzpatrick recovered the on-sides kick attempt, and Corliss Waitman did a fantastic job of punting.

The real star was Jeremiah Moon who took a perfect angle and blocking the first punt of the 2nd half allowing the Steelers to dictate the tone of the final 30 minutes. Grade: A

Coaching
It would be a little strange to criticize Arthur Smith for an offensive effort that put 32 points on the board, a season high and a total that they only topped once last season.

So we won’t.

The Steelers running game was at its best all season. Some of this was due to improved execution on the part of Najee Harris, but some of it was due to better coordination between the rusher and the blocker. (See the pitch to Harris that finally worked.)

  • And the Steelers showed once again that Justin Fields is a dangerous weapon in the Red Zone.

But 32 points, while representing progress, shouldn’t obscure the fact that this team’s passing game doesn’t remotely look NFL-ready. The 1988 Steelers passing attack was far more potent. Some of this is tied to personnel, some of it is tied to execution. One can see Arthur Smith is trying to make the best with what he has. The effort may continue.

It says here that the Las Vegas Raiders offense probably doesn’t provide a good measuring stick to judge an NFL defense.

So be it. During the first three weeks of the season, Teryl Austin looked like he was fielding a Super Bowl quality defense. The unit slipped a two weeks ago, and last week that looked like an outright mirage.

The Steelers defense dominated the Raiders. Yes, they gave up an easy touchdown on the first drive, but the Raiders never made a serious threat to contest the game after that. By the time Aidan O’Connell was throwing his final interception the entire Raiders squad looked like it really just wanted to hit the showers.

Patrick Queen, Ameer Abdullah, Steelers vs Raiders

Patrick Queen tackles Ameer Abdullah. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

One week after they were left “squashing grapes” instead of drinking wine, the Steelers authored the type of bounce back name they needed to, and that is to Mike Tomlin’s credit. Grade: B

Unsung Hero Award
For the first five weeks of the season this player was getting talked about not so much for what he had done, but for what he was failing to do. While he hadn’t made any blaring errors, he still didn’t seem to make much of an impact. Against the Raiders, he led the team in tackles, dropped several runners behind the line of scrimmage and used his speed as an asset throughout the game and for that Patrick Queen wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2024 win over the Raiders in Las Vegas.

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Steelers Report Card for Loss to the Cowboys Whining about Wine Edition

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher wanting to whine after seeing visitors drinking wine at Acrisure, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the loss to the Cowboys in Sunday Night Football.

T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig, Dak Prescott, Steelers vs Cowboys, T.J. Watt 100 sacks

T.J. Watt gets his 100th sack. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Quarterback
Justin Fields passing numbers were solid, completing 15 of 27 for 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran 6 times for 27 sometimes tough yards. Nonetheless, Fields missed makeable throws that could have been difference-makers for a struggling offense. To wit, the Steelers were 3-12 on third downs. Grade: CSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Najee Harris actually led the team in receptions, catching two passes for 35 yards. That’s good, but Najee Harris is a running back. And for the second straight week he did not run well. He may have come out slightly better in the ‘eye test’ but his numbers 42 yards on 14 carries don’t lie. Aaron Shampklin and Jonathan Ward looked good in spot duty but not enough to provide a spark. Grade: F

Tight Ends
The tight ends provided both touchdown catches on the night, with Pat Freiermuth catching 3 balls for 22 yards and Connor Heyward catching 2 for 23. Darnell Washington also had 1 catch for 5 yards. Grade: B

Wide Receivers
The good news? Van Jefferson shed his invisibility cloak for this game. The bad news? His 3 catches for 26 yards look more like mop up numbers that WR No 2 stats. WR No. 1 George Pickens also had 3 catches for 26 yards…. Calvin Austin had 1 catch for 6 yards and Brandon Johnson (who?) had 1 catch for 9 yards.

Stats like these make graying Generation X Steelers fan long for the days of Weegie Thompson and Dwight Stone. Ouch! Grade: F

Offensive Line
Isaac Seumalo returned to the offensive line and added a veteran presence. It may take him time to find his feet, as Justin Fields took 8 hits and suffered 3 sacks, and the Steelers consistently lost on 1st and 2nd down setting up third and longs. All of that might not be on the line, but some of it certainly is. Grade: D

Defensive Line
Look at the box score and you’ll see that the Dallas Cowboys rushing attack probably lacked the “wow” factor. But whatever they lacked there, they made up for consistency. The Cowboys establish the run early on and leaned into it on their final drive. All of this doesn’t fall on the shoulders of the defensive line. But it starts there. Grade: D

Linebackers
T.J. Watt got his 100th sack on a play here he and Nick Herbig brought Dak Prescott down, stripping the ball in the Red Zone. Watt later helped wreck a drive in the 3rd quarter with a sack. Payton Wilson had nine tackles and was around the ball. Patrick Queen led the unit in tackles with 9 while Elandon Roberts forced a fumble that should have been a game changer. Those are all positives, but the linebackers failed to bring pressure on Prescott when it counted and they too deserve their share of the blame for Dallas’ success on the ground. Grade: C-

Secondary
Joey Porter Jr. hauled what should have been a game-shifting interception, and Donte Jackson had a pick in the end zone that took at least 3 points off the board. Minkah Fitzpatrick made several key stops. But Dallas converted 9 of 15 third down attempts and made it look all too easy in the process. DeShon Elliott manned up after the game – but he was hardly the only one at fault. Grade: D

Special Teams
Chris Boswell kicked a 41 yarder. Corliss Waitman’s punting was solid and, unfortunately, could probably gain a few votes for offensive MVP. Dallas forced the Steelers to return kicks and Aaron Shampklin did a respectable job. Isaiahh Loudermilk blocked a field goal. Grade: B+

Coaching
Where to start?

Arthur Smith’s offense doesn’t come with a lot of frills. His philosophy is focused establishing the run by dominating at the line of scrimmage, setting up play action passing to create chunk plays.

This formula worked slowly, but reasonably well through the first three weeks of the season. But things have gone downhill fast. For the second straight week the Steelers have failed to establish the run, and effectively asked Justin Fields to win the game for them, when he clearly lacks the receivers to do that.

Smith likes to line his quarterbacks up under center, but Justin Fields worked extensively in the shotgun on both touchdown drives. While those touchdowns were nice, over reliance on the shotgun could complicate things.

Shotgun or no, Dallas came to Pittsburgh with a terrible rushing defense and missing its best two defenders, yet they clearly got the better of the Steelers rushing attack.

  • Teryl Austin has a different problem.

He’s got a defense that is capable of making splash plays that should be game-changing. Yet they keep getting beaten on bread-and-butter downs. As the Elandon Roberts play proved, forcing a fumble at the one doesn’t mean a whole lot if you can’t stop a four yard pass on 4th and 4.

To be fair to Austin, by the end of the game, the Steelers had lost Nick Herbig and DeMarvin Leal, making 5th string outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon the next man up. Any defense in the NFL is going to struggle a bit in those circumstances.

But that neither explains nor confuses the lackluster play on the defensive line or the miscommunications and/or ineffectiveness of the inside linebackers.

Cameron Heyward, Rico Dowdle, Steelers vs Cowboys

Cam Heyward was one of the few rights spots for the Steelers. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Mike Tomlin has said that an NFL team definition its identity during the first six weeks of the season. During weeks 1-3 the Steeler that definition looked pretty sharp. Focus slipped a little in week four but still looked good.

But in week 5 the Pittsburgh stuck “smashing grapes.” And it wasn’t pretty. Grade: F

Unsung Hero Award
Five weeks ago he was being mocked as a player getting a “scholarship year.” Since then he’s been the best player in his unit, by far, and against the Cowboys he was the only defensive lineman to turn in a truly good performance. And for that Cam Heyward wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2024 loss to the Cowboys at Acrisure.

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