Jaylen Warren, Steelers Who Boosted Stock with Strong Preseason Showing

The Pittsburgh Steelers left the preseason with a clear answer to which player will be the second running back on their depth chart.

The answer to that problem came from an unlikely source. Rookie running back Jaylen Warren outperformed Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland to give Pittsburgh a solid backup to its star at the position.

Warren was one of a few offensive skill-position players to remain on the Steelers' initial 53-man roster on Tuesday.

Miles Boykin and Steven Sims both landed on the roster, even though it appeared the two were fighting for one roster spot on the back end of the wide receiver depth chart.

Boykin and Sims could be important pieces in certain aspects of the offense and on special teams, and both of them were able to prove their worth to the franchise with their preseason performances.

Jaylen Warren

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PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 13: Jaylen Warren #30 of the Pittsburgh Steelers in action during a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks at Acrisure Stadium on August 13, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)

Jaylen Warren catapulted himself from undrafted free agent hoping to make the final roster cut to potential difference-maker as a No. 2 running back in the NFL.

The Oklahoma State product got the better of Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland in the competition to be the backup to Najee Harris. Snell is still on the roster, while McFarland was one of Tuesday's roster cuts.

Warren was not the Steelers' leading rusher in any of the three preseason games, but he broke out in the August opener against the Seattle Seahawks with six carries for 34 yards.

He was not expected to make this much of an impact so early with the Steelers, and he could end up as a pleasant surprise throughout the regular season.

Snell and McFarland failed to gain control of spots on the running back depth chart and that allowed the open competition to happen in training camp.

Warren needs to showcase the same work rate from August during every game week to keep his position, but for now, it appears he will get snaps of some capacity when Harris is off the field.

Miles Boykin

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PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 28: Miles Boykin #13 of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts after a first down catch against the Detroit Lions during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium on August 28, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

Miles Boykin went from seven touchdowns in two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens to fighting to make the Pittsburgh roster.

Boykin finished the preseason with three catches for 41 yards against the Detroit Lions.

The fourth-year wide receiver will provide depth behind Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and others at the start of the regular season.

Boykin could be used as a potential scoring threat on some long plays. He will mostly be used on special teams to start the season, but he could be on the field in some four-or-five-receiver sets and make an impact in that regard.

Keeping Boykin and Steven Sims at least gives the Steelers some depth in case an injury happens, or they want to spread their offense out more for their starting quarterback.

Steven Sims

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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - AUGUST 20: Gregory Junior #34 of the Jacksonville Jaguars guards Steven Sims #82 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half of a preseason game at TIAA Bank Field on August 20, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Courtney Culbreath/Getty Images)

Steven Sims provides the Steelers with more depth at wide receiver and on special teams.

The former Washington wide receiver made seven catches in preseason and made enough of an impact to remain on the right side of the initial 53-man roster.

Sims will likely have to fight for his roster spot for a few more weeks since Calvin Austin is injured. The two could battle for the last wide receiver berth when Austin returns.

Sims' roster spot could also be under threat if an injury occurs at a certain position and the Steelers need to make room on one part of the roster.

For now, Sims has more chances to improve on his standing, and he could earn more snaps on offense as the season progresses.

Sims, Boykin and Austin may be compared at parts of the regular season when all three are healthy and they give the Steelers three solid depth pieces to work with in case the worst-case scenario of an injury to Johnson or Claypool happens.