Pittsburgh Steelers Depth Chart Debate: Should Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell or Kaleb Johnson Be RB1?

Who should be considered the RB1 for the Pittsburgh Steelers between Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell and Kaleb Johnson?

Sep 14, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) runs the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Steelers have rolled out a committee backfield through their 3-1 start to the season. So far this year, veteran backs Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell have dominated the backfield volume over rookie Kaleb Johnson, who has faced his share of struggles to this point in his young NFL career. 

The Steelers brought in Gainwell and Johnson to fill the void left by former first-round pick Najee Harris, who signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency. Despite some notable individual performances, Pittsburgh enters a Week 6 matchup versus the Cleveland Browns with the 19th-ranked ground attack in the NFL. 

Pittsburgh’s trio of backs has raised questions regarding the workload split down the stretch of the season. But which of these Steelers should be regarded as RB1 in the backfield going forward? 

Jaylen Warren Fantasy Outlook

Sep 21, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (25) attempts to tackle Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) during the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Prior to a Week 4 injury that kept him sidelined for Pittsburgh’s win over the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin, Warren posted consistent production for fantasy football owners. The Oklahoma State product eclipsed 13.0 points among PPR leagues in each of his first three games of the season, posting three consecutive finishes inside the top-20 among running backs in fantasy. 

Leading up to their bye, Warren dominated the backfield workload, seeing his volume increase on a weekly basis from Weeks 1 to 3. Despite consistency with his volume, a breakout performance has raised an argument over his status as RB1 going forward. 

Kenneth Gainwell Fantasy Outlook

Sep 28, 2025; Dublin, Ireland; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell (14) runs for a gain past Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy (7) during the third quarter during an NFL International Series game at Croke Park. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In Warren’s absence, Gainwell emerged with a mammoth fantasy performance versus Minnesota in Week 4. With RB1 touches, Gainwell carved out 31.4 points among PPR leagues, which ranked third among backs across the league in Week 4, and marked a season-high among Pittsburgh’s backfield. 

He’s now found the end zone three times over the past two games and could continue such a trend of production versus a lowly Browns squad on Sunday. 

Kaleb Johnson Fantasy Outlook

Sep 7, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson (20) breaks a tackle by New York Jets cornerback Brandon Stephens (21) during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

There hasn’t been much to write home about regarding Johnson’s fantasy output through the first four games on Pittsburgh’s schedule. The rookie has been reduced to an RB3 role entering the season and was briefly in Mike Tomlin’s doghouse following a costly mistake during a kickoff return in Week 2. 

In Week 4, Johnson emerged with his most expanded role to date, but still recorded six carries. Though I feel Johnson offers the greatest upside in Pittsburgh’s run game, he hasn’t been given much of a chance to claim the RB1 spot to this point of the season. 

The Final Verdict

Sep 21, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell (14) and Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones (77) react after a touchdown during the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

I’m quite high on Johnson and have raised eyebrows over his utilization over the first four games of the season. I believe he has the chops to take over the Steelers’ RB1 job with one breakout performance, but thus far, Warren makes the most sense entering Week 6. 

Warren has earned this starting job following Harris’ departure, serving as his backup for the first three years of his career. Now in the spotlight, he’s provided fantasy owners with consistent, valuable production over a three-game span.