PITTSBURGH -- Jaylen Warren snagged the ball out of the air and turned upfield with purpose.

The 5-foot-8, 215-pound running back shouldered Seattle's 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker Earnest Jones IV to the ground, juked past safety Julian Love and threw linebacker Tyrice Knight off his back. As Warren continued to rumble down the field, he dipped toward the sideline and ran through the outstretched arms of cornerback Josh Jobe, accelerated past a swarm of Seahawks and then cut the ball back inside for more yardage.

"My body reacts really instinctively," Warren said, when trying to put his run into words. "Sometimes I realize I'm still up. I just keep chopping my feet (and) try to make something out of nothing."

By the time the Seahawks finally brought Warren to the ground, he had ripped off a 65-yard gain that set up the Steelers with a first-and-goal at the 4-yard line. Had it not been for an interception on a poorly executed scramble drill a few plays later, Warren's catch-and-run at the end of the third quarter may have been one of the game-changing plays in Pittsburgh's favor.

"Jaylen is a great player," quarterback Aaron Rodgers said after the Steelers' 31-17 loss. "That was an awesome catch and run. He brings a lot to the table. We might have to keep giving him more opportunities in the pass game, because every time he touches it, something good happens."

Rodgers isn't the only one wondering if it's time to give Warren a heavier workload. For years, the Steelers had a clearcut workhorse running back in Najee Harris. From 2021 to 2024, he led the NFL with 1,277 touches. In the wake of Harris's departure (to the Chargers in free agency), Pittsburgh made three moves to round out its backfield, with the idea that all three would help replace the 250 to 300 touches that went out the door. First, they signed former Eagle Kenneth Gainwell to a one-year contract. Then, they drafted Kaleb Johnson in the third round. And finally, just before the season began, the Steelers signed Warren to a new three-year deal that boosts his 2025 compensation to more than $7 million.

While Warren is making starter-like money and carries the label of RB1 on the depth chart, the Steelers have opted for more of a running back-by-committee approach early in the season. Through two games, Warren has played 52 percent of the offensive snaps (61 in total) and Gainwell has received 48 percent of the snaps (56 in total).

Gainwell's versatility, advanced route tree for a running back and feel for outside-zone runs theoretically makes him a fit in the offense. On his 18 touches, he's put up 59 yards (12 carries for 39 yards and six receptions for 20 yards). On the flip side, Warren has made the most of his opportunities. He leads the Steelers with 31 touches for 193 yards, a 6.2 yards per touch average. That includes 25 rushing attempts for 85 yards and six receptions for 108 and a touchdown.

"Jaylen makes his own success honestly," offensive tackle Broderick Jones said. "He comes in every day working with the right attitude, and you can see it on Sundays when he goes out there. He's very slippery. He's a small person, but he got fire behind him, too. He just brings that type of mentality to the game. He has that swagger about himself that nobody can stop him."

The Steelers don't like to discuss how or why they choose to split reps the way that they do. However, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has always been a fan of using versatile players to get the defense into a less-than-optimal personnel package. That's likely part of the thinking with Gainwell. Because he's a polished route runner, the Steelers can put Gainwell in the huddle and then split him out to create a more favorable one-on-one for the running back (or someone else). It also gives Smith the chance to build a number of different formations out of similar personnel groupings. But if Warren is going to continue to maximize his chances, especially in the passing game, the Steelers might reconsider that tactic.

One way or another, Pittsburgh needs to get more production from its running game, and its running backs in general. Through two games, the Steelers rank 30th with 62.5 rushing yards per game, and they're 30th in yards per carry with 3.0.

"I thought as a collective, we still lack a little cohesion at times. That is slowing us down," coach Mike Tomlin said. "A missed combination here. A misidentification there. It's not one particular person, and that's why I'm just talking more broadly about us just needing to continue to work and solidify all of those things so we don't leave quite as much meat on the bone."

When the Steelers signed Rodgers, the thinking was he'd enjoy more success than with the Jets if Pittsburgh could support the 41-year-old QB with a loaded defense and a reliable running game. Through two games, neither the defense nor the running game has done its part.

Even if Pittsburgh is going to be a pass-first offense with a four-time MVP behind center, it's imperative to have a consistent running game for a number of reasons.

Big picture: The new-look, Rodgers-led offense ranks in the top-10 in scoring (25.5 points per game) thanks in large part to the 34-point outburst in Week 1. They're also one of the NFL's most efficient red-zone teams, scoring touchdowns on 80 percent of chances, plus a successful two-point try. If they're going to remain a top-10 scoring offense, having more success running the ball between the 20s and then continuing to be efficient in the red zone could be a winning formula.

The development of the young offensive line is the most critical part of that equation, but leaning on Warren more as the lead back could add a needed boost from the backfield.

Jaylen Warren has played like a feature back -- is it time for the Steelers to treat him like one?