Explaining What Jaylen Warren’s Opportunity Actually Means

One man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity. That’s the phrase Mike Tomlin uses this time of year. When injuries pile up, when lines get short, young guys, those on the roster fringes or looking outside of it getting extra reps to show they belong.

But what exactly does that mean? Running back Jaylen Warren is a great case study for it. Undrafted out of Oklahoma State, he entered camp at the back of the depth chart. With Najee Harris (foot) and Jeremy McNichols (shoulder) currently out of the lineup, Warren has moved up the depth chart. And his opportunities have increased. In quantifiable terms, here’s what that looks like.

I went through my charting of yesterday’s practice and…