Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday he was encouraged with the performance of rookie running back Jaylen Warren in his first professional appearance on an NFL field, but not for the reasons any fan may think of.
Warren’s stat line was not spectacular.
He had seven rushing yards on three carries. He was also targeted once by quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in the team’s overtime win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
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So, why was Tomlin looking on the bright side?
"He didn’t urinate down his leg and that’s a great place to begin," Tomlin told reporters. "And that’s capable of happening for a young guy but I think that’s indicative of him throughout this process and that’s why he’s gone from being an undrafted guy to a guy that’s carving a role out for himself.
"Because at no step in team development did he show that circumstances were too big for him. He was competitive, and he’s being competitive. He was on Sunday, so good for him and good for us."
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Warren was a standout running back at Utah State and Oklahoma State during his collegiate career.
He spent two seasons with the Aggies before transferring to Oklahoma State. He had 821 rushing yards and eight touchdowns at Utah State and 1,216 yards and 11 touchdowns in his lone season with the Cowboys.
Warren found himself with the Steelers after the draft to provide depth behind Najee Harris.
Harris suffered a foot injury in Week 1 but is expecting to play in Week 2 against the New England Patriots.
