Pittsburgh Steelers fans were caught off guard when the front office inked Rico Dowdle to a two-year contract. The plan, at least many thought, was to re-sign Kenneth Gainwell. But when Gainwell spurned the Steelers in free agency for a big contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pittsburgh shifted gears to Dowdle.
Dowdle is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, averaging 4.6 yards per carry over the past two years with the Cowboys and Panthers. He's capable of carrying the load, which means Steelers starter Jaylen Warren could see more of the 'Gainwell' role as the third-down back in 2026.
But where does that leave 2025 third-round pick Kaleb Johnson?
After a disappointing rookie season, Johnson already had an uphill battle to carve out a significant role. Now there might not be room for him on the roster. Johnson isn't an asset on special teams, and with Dowdle and Warren as the two-headed monster in the backfield, the Steelers may want to move on.
This should happen soon, and I've outlined the perfect mock trade that the Steelers should execute.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should send Kaleb Johnson packing in this mock trade with the Atlanta Falcons
In this mock trade, I have the Steelers sending running back Kaleb Johnson and a pair of compensatory sixth-round picks (No. 214 and No. 216) to the Atlanta Falcons for their 2026 fourth-round pick (No. 114).
While sending a 2025 third-round running back plus a pair of Day 3 draft picks this year seems like a lot, only to gain a fourth-round pick in return, it's important to remember that Johnson's value depreciated the moment they took him off the lot. '
The Steelers need to find a way to condense their draft picks somehow. And unless they're willing to trade them for picks in the 2027 NFL Draft (which I don't know if Omar Khan will have the foresight to do), they should try to move up in the draft this year. There's no way Pittsburgh is going to make all 12 draft selections.
Trading Johnson to the Falcons is a great place to start.
Atlanta has just five draft picks this year—a second, third, fourth, sixth, and seventh. They will want to enter the 2026 NFL Draft with a chance to land more rookie talent on cheap contracts. This trade would give the Falcons one more draft pick than they started the offseason with while landing a backup running back.
The scheme fit for Johnson is everything, and Atlanta is a perfect landing spot. Johnson would fit with a wide zone offense and could serve as a change-of-pace back to Bjan Robinson. Meanwhile, former quality backup Tyler Allgeier just inked a two-year, $12.25 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals, and the Falcons could use a replacement.
This is a trade that makes sense for both parties, and quite frankly, the Steelers simply need to cut their losses with Kaleb Johnson before his trade value depreciates any further. There's no room for him to make an impact on Pittsburgh's roster with Dowdle and Warren in town.