Would the Steelers have tagged Jaylen Warren at the second-round level if they knew they would land Kaleb Johnson?
When the Steelers placed a second-round tender on Jaylen Warren, they didn’t know for sure they could draft Kaleb Johnson. That’s worth considering in hindsight, and perhaps even in foresight, though I think that’s rather unlikely. As a reminder, restricted free agent tenders are not guaranteed until the start of the season.
In theory, the Steelers could release Warren, even though he signed his tender, and reclaim the $5-plus million it’s worth. They then could attempt to re-sign him at a lower rate if they wanted to.