Losing your team MVP is never a good sign, but the Pittsburgh Steelers may be in a unique position to handle the blow. After losing Kenneth Gainwell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, the Steelers promptly signed Rico Dowdle to a two-year contract to pair with Jaylen Warren.<\/p>\n
It won\u2019t be easy to replace Gainwell\u2019s production. A running back leading a team in receptions may speak volumes about Pittsburgh\u2019s passing game in 2025, but it was an impressive feat for Gainwell nonetheless.<\/p>\n
While Dowdle was brought in to take Gainwell\u2019s place alongside Warren in the backfield, Steelers beat writer Ray Fittipaldo believes Warren is best suited to assume Gainwell\u2019s role on offense.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think you\u2019ll see Jaylen Warren do a lot of the things that Gainwell did last year,\u201d Fittipaldo said during an appearance on Sportsline with George Von Benko on WMBS Radio<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s really good at that. That\u2019s how he got into the league. He was a great third down back and he eventually worked his way into being a first and second-down back, too.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you\u2019ll see him back in that role this year.\u201d<\/p>\n Last season, Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers offense relied heavily on the quick pass game and both running backs benefitted. Gainwell and Warren were both in the top four for receptions on the team. Warren had almost double the rushing attempts that Gainwell registered but took a back seat in the passing game.<\/p>\n Warren\u2019s 333 receiving yards were actually a slight increase from 2024 as he no longer had to share a backfield with Najee Harris but Gainwell\u2019s production, which caught some by surprise, made him indispensable.<\/p>\n