The Pittsburgh Steelers possess one of the NFL’s most electric backfield tandems in Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle. While Warren stands out as the unit’s undisputed explosive playmaker, advanced rushing metrics reveal that Pittsburgh’s current situational game script is mismanaging their skill sets, particularly when opposing defenses stack the box.
Reporter Christopher Carter spoke about it on his “Locked on Steelers” podcast, noting that over the past two weeks, Warren has struggled against heavy defensive fronts. He has averaged just 2.0 yards per carry on 18 attempts against loaded boxes. In contrast, Dowdle has thrived in identical situations, averaging 4.0 yards per carry across 16 attempts.
Carter highlighted how flipping these situational
roles can keep Warren fresh while improving Pittsburgh's run efficiency.
"When you know a team is loading the box, that's why I want Rico Dowdle because he's rough. He's tough. He will take on those hits and do it well," Carter explained.
"If teams are closing up on the space for Jaylen Warren to run, that's where I want Rico Dowdle. But if I can get teams to spread out a little bit more, get Jaylen Warren out there and he's the most dangerous dude on the field."
Guest and fellow analyst Nick Farabaugh agreed that swapping their roles in short-yardage and goal-line packages provides an immediate tactical upgrade.
"If you flip to that, I think you'd be more than fine just seeing Jaylen out there more in the red zone and seeing Rico more in the short-yardage stuff," Farabaugh noted. "I thought the game script was a little wonky this week in particular and how they were utilized."
By using Dowdle’s thicker build to hammer into crowded fronts, Pittsburgh can protect Warren from unnecessary wear while setting him up to exploit light, spread-out boxes.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: The surprising stat that proves Rico Dowdle belongs in short yardage
