Pittsburgh Steelers fans were surprised to learn that running back Jaylen Warren would not be playing against the Minnesota Vikings. While he appeared on the injury report in recent days, there were few indications that he wouldn’t be playing in Dublin. Now, everything has changed. QB Aaron Rodgers will be without his leading receiver as the Steelers’ running and passing game just took a massive hit.
Saturday’s Practice Sealed Jaylen Warren’s Fate
Adam Schefter reported that the team’s practice on Saturday, September 27, is what forced the team to decide Warren wouldn’t be playing the next day. According to Schefter, “Steelers RB Jaylen Warren did not feel right after Saturday’s practice and the Steelers decided to hold him out today.”
Head coach Mike Tomlin is erring on the side of caution, and for good reason. Through the team’s first three games, Warren has 43 carries for 132 yards and 11 receptions for 142 yards. He has just one touchdown, which is a receiving touchdown.
While he’s only averaging 3.4 yards per carry, Warren’s backup, Kenneth Gainwell, has 16 carries for 55 yards, averaging just 3.4 yards per attempt. Gainwell has the team’s lone rushing touchdown.
#Steelers RB Jaylen Warren a no go today. Was added to the injury report late in the week with a knee injury. https://t.co/SWYfOZHL3B
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 28, 2025
“Steelers RB Jaylen Warren a no go today. Was added to the injury report late in the week with a knee injury,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo added. Warren joins CB Joey Porter Jr., OLB Alex Highsmith, G Andrus Peat, and DE Esezi Otomewo as the Steelers inactives.
Pittsburgh’s quest to improve to 3-1 just got much more difficult. The Vikings, who ran through the Cincinnati Bengals last week, 48-10, are likely to be a tough opponent. The Vikings currently have the league’s best defense according to PFSN’s Defense Impact Metric. They are the only team in the NFL to log an overall grade of A-.
Thankfully for the Steelers, the team has a Bye in Week 5. An early bye doesn’t always favor teams, especially ones with more veterans, but Warren should be back to 100% by the time they play the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, October 12. Even though Warren will not be playing in Week 4, this does not seem to be an injury with long-term implications.
One of the Steelers’ darkhorses could be RB Kaleb Johnson. The 22-year-old is coming off a 1,537-yard season at Iowa. He fell just over 200 yards shy of 3,000 in his collegiate career. So far this season, he has just two carries for negative one yard. Johnson has been used primarily as the team’s kick returner, where he has eight attempts for 190 yards.
