When the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to let leading rusher Najee Harris walk this offseason, it was very clear that they were looking to take advantage of a historically good running back class. Without a second-round pick thanks to the DK Metcalf trade, they had to wait until pick 83 to select there next star runner.
Iowa's Kaleb Johnson got the nod, and it made perfect sense. He had a dominant 2024 season for the Hawkeyes, leading the Big Ten in rushing. He did so in a zone-heavy run scheme, which meshes perfectly with what offensive coordinator Arthur Smith wants to do.
As we all know, however, things haven't worked out the way the team had hoped.
After playing just a few offensive snaps in Weeks 1 and 2, he botched a kick return that ended any chance of victory against the Seattle Seahawks. That mistake could haunt the young runner for the rest of his rookie season.
Kaleb Johnson's big mistake could keep him glued to the bench for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Johnson was already not getting touches on offense before his special teams blunder, but Week 3 was a new low for the rookie back. He was active for the Steelers against the Patriots, but he played 0 snaps. Not just on offense, but not even any special teams reps.
Heading into Week 4, 20 other rookie running backs have played more offensive snaps than Johnson. Without his role as a kick returner, where does Johnson figure into this team? That is the burning question as the season moves along.
The rushing attack has been dreadful through three weeks, ranking in the bottom five in every major category. Much of the blame for that falls on a porous offensive line, but the coaching staff has to try something to get the ground game going. Giving Johnson more opportunities would at least give defenses a different look, but he seems firmly in Mike Tomlin's doghouse.
As big a mistake as Johnson made, a strong argument could be made that he should never have been in that position to begin with. Johnson briefly had a role as a kick returner at Iowa, but he had just two returns over his final two seasons. He absolutely should have known the rules, but he wasn't a good fit for the role to begin with.
I am all for teaching a rookie an important lesson, but this offense desperately needs a spark on the ground. Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell haven't been able to get the job done, and Johnson made a ton of big plays for Iowa a year ago. Hopefully, the coaching staff gives him a chance at some point to prove himself.