As the Pittsburgh Steelers close in on their Week 12 game against the Chicago Bears, two of their injured starters returned to practice after not participating in the first session of the week.
Running back Jaylen Warren (ankle) and outside linebacker Alex Highsmith (pectoral) both were listed as limited participants on Pittsburgh’s second injury report of the week, which bodes well for their chances of suiting up at Soldier Field.
Warren suffered his injury during the team’s Week 11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, while Highsmith did not appear in that contest.
Nov 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) runs with the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half against at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Assuming Warren stays on track and does play against the Bears, which head coach Mike Tomlin said he is “optimistic” about during his press conference earlier in the week, Pittsburgh could have a bit of a tough decision on its hands when it comes to doling out the backfield touches.
Per ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the Steelers are expected to keep Kenneth Gainwell involved within the offense at an increased rate even if Warren plays as expected after his standout performance against Cincinnati.
“They do think there’s a good chance starting running back Jaylen Warren, who left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, will be OK to play in Chicago, though the coaching staff has been extremely happy with Kenneth Gainwell. I expect that Gainwell will retain a significant role in the game plan either way,” Graziano wrote.
With Warren on the mend, Gainwell posted a career-high 81 receiving yards with two touchdowns on seven catches while adding 24 yards on seven carries.
Warren remains Pittsburgh’s unquestioned starter at the position, though, and he’s only gotten stronger as the season has gone along. After posting 132 yards on the ground across 43 carries through Week 3, the 27-year-old has gone for 404 yards on 80 attempts between Weeks 6 and 11.
Given how productive Gainwell has been for the Steelers in his first year with the team, however, it’s certainly possible that Warren could lose some snaps to him for the time being.
Highsmith, who did not miss a single game over his first four years in the league, has suddenly become incredibly injury-prone since the start of the 2024 campaign. He missed six games last season with groin and ankle afflictions before being sidelined for three contests so far in 2025 with his aforementioned pec and ankle injuries.
The 28-year-old is making tangible progress towards a return, though, and the Steelers certainly hope he can pick up where he left off should he play against the Bears.
According to Pro Football Focus, Highsmith logged a combined four sacks on eight pressures vs. the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers in Weeks 9 and 10, respectively.
Pittsburgh’s pass rush has held up just fine when Highsmith hasn’t been on the field this season with both T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig rushing off the edge, but adding the former back into the mix would make the unit even more of a handful for opposing offenses to deal with.