The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a disappointing end to the 2024 season. This caused head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan to put their heads together and figure out a way to move the franchise forward, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Aaron Rodgers is the obvious headliner for the offseason, but the Steelers completely re-tooled their running back room in the wake of Najee Harris' departure. Jaylen Warren is expected to take the reins and make a huge leap in his fourth NFL season, but Pittsburgh added reinforcements anyway.
Free agency netted the team Kenneth Gainwell and Trey Sermon, and the Steelers took Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. While Johnson has initially been buried on the depth chart in Pittsburgh, it should not surprise fans to see him become the team's preseason MVP.
Kaleb Johnson is destined for strong preseason with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers fans are fairly certain that first-round pick Derrick Harmon will live up to his billing right away. Plus, as an expected starter, his snap share could be relatively low compared to the other rookies on the roster.
There was plenty of intrigue surrounding rookie quarterback Will Howard heading into the preseason as well. However, with him sidelined for at least three weeks, Johnson should be where most of the eyes go, considering he'll be the obvious centerpiece of the preseason offense.
Warren and Gainwell are experienced enough not to need too many reps, so the workload should be wide open for Johnson, who has been ascending in training camp after a few initial bumps to begin his career.
RELATED: Steelers' rising star just got dealt a brutal depth chart blow
Whoever wins the battle between Sermon, Evan Hull, and Lew Nichols should not be a major factor in the Steelers' offense either, so fans should expect the bulk of the reps to go to Johnson. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is surely itching to watch Johnson run against a non-Steelers defense as well.
With a strong set of preseason performances against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers, Johnson could easily rise to being second on the depth chart by Week 1.
The ultimate goal is for Johnson to have a Najee Harris-like role in the offense alongside Warren, and that can only be sorted out through trial by fire in exhibition games. Expect Johnson to flourish in an offense where he gets plenty of opportunities and to become the star of the preseason.