The Pittsburgh Steelers’ backfield tandem of Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell has been pretty darn good for this season.

But former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew thinks the Steelers can do better. In a piece for NFL.com Wednesday morning, Jones-Drew highlighted the Steelers as one of five teams that need to upgrade their running backs room, either in free agency or the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Steelers were joined by the Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans and Denver Broncos.

“Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell have each enjoyed big games this season, with both amassing more than 900 scrimmage yards. However, Pittsburgh has struggled to find consistency in the ground game, ranking 26th in rushing yards,” Jones-Drew writes. “The Steelers face a lot of questions this offseason. Will Aaron Rodgers return? If he does, I’d like to see Pittsburgh run the ball more often and more efficiently, putting Rodgers in position to really succeed with play-action. And if the 42-year-old quarterback doesn’t come back, running the ball becomes even more crucial, barring a major upgrade at the game’s most important position.

“Re-signing Gainwell might be a priority this offseason, given how well he’s played in the second half of the year, specifically in the pass game as a third-down back.”

The Steelers signed Gainwell to a one-year, $1.79 million deal in free agency, bringing him in after a solid tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles. Pittsburgh got more than it expected in return as Gainwell has been an outstanding dual-threat running back and has played like the team MVP.

Gainwell has rushed for 527 yards and four touchdowns, generating 4.8 yards per carry. He also leads the Steelers in receptions with 65 to go along with 422 yards and three touchdowns through the air. He’s a steady presence and makes a ton of plays.

He feels like a priority re-signing for the Steelers before the start of free agency.

Warren signed an extension before the start of the season and sits at 892 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the season, generating 4.5 yards per carry. He hasn’t been utilized much in the passing game, hauling in just 35 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns, but he still remains a very good running back and fits well into the Steelers’ offense.

Consistency has been an issue in the run game for Pittsburgh, which sits 26th in rushing yards per game at just 103.5. For a team that came into the season wanting to run the ball and be the bully, sitting near the bottom of the league in rushing yards per game isn’t good enough.

That’s in large part why Jones-Drew wants to see an upgrade in the backfield, especially behind a young offensive line that has all the pieces in place to be quite good in the run game.

“I think Pittsburgh needs to bring in a back who would also push Warren for first- and second-down reps. There are a number of options the Steelers could target in free agency. To me, they’d be wise to make a run at Kenneth Walker III,” Jones-Drew writes.

Walker is a force. He dominated the Steelers in Week 2 this season, rushing for 105 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Walker has rushed for 930 yards and five touchdowns this season, averaging 4.5 yards on 205 carries. He’s struggled with injuries throughout his career, though this would be the first season he’s played all 17 games.

At just 25 years old, Walker’s best days appear to be ahead of him. However, he has a lot of tread on his tires. In four seasons in Seattle, Walker has carried the ball 805 times and counting, along with 129 receptions out of the backfield.

With his injury history and usage, not to mention the money he’ll likely demand, the Steelers would be wise to avoid him and just run it back with Warren, Gainwell and Kaleb Johnson entering his second season. Adding receiving weapons on the outside could open things up for the run game even further, while the offensive line should take a step forward, too.

That’s how improvement happens, rather than spending big money on a running back in free agency.