The Pittsburgh Steelers emerged victorious over the New York Jets in Week 1, and some veteran additions were to thank. Aaron Rodgers put up a four-touchdown performance in his revenge game, while No. 1 receiver DK Metcalf chipped in with 83 yards on 20.8 yards per catch. Meanwhile, Jalen Ramsey was the star of the game after two huge pass breakups on the final Jets drive to seal the win.
However, one veteran newcomer is already showing why he needs to move to the back of the depth chart.
When the Steelers signed running back Kenneth Gainwell, it was with the idea that he would be the third-down back. During his first four seasons with the Eagles, Gainwell was known for his receiving ability, not for the damage he could cause on the ground.
But, for whatever reason, the Steelers attempted to make him more than that in Week 1. The results were unpleasant.
Gainwell carried the ball seven times against the Jets but was able to muster up just 19 rushing yards. Somehow, he was even worse in the passing game—turning four targets into as many yards (1.0 yards per target).
The cherry on top was when the veteran running back coughed up the football. Fortunately, he was able to recover his own fumble. We've only seen Gainwell for one game in a Steelers uniform, but fans have already seen enough.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should bench Kenneth Gainwell after dismal Week 1 showing
To be fair to Gainwell, the rushing attack wasn't working for anyone. Starting running back Jalen Warren managed just 37 yards on 11 carries, while rookie Kaleb Johnson took his lone opportunity for negative two yards. Still, the Gainwell experiment as RB2 needs to end before Pittsburgh's second game of 2025.
While Gainwell still has plenty of wiggle to his game to go with soft hands as a pass-catcher, he lacks both power and elite speed. This combination limits his upside in Pittsburgh's offense. Gainwell is too quick to go down on first contact, and at 5'8'' and 200 pounds, this is an area of the game that isn't suddenly going to improve in his fifth NFL season.
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The Steelers drafted Kaleb Johnson with the idea of making him the No. 2 running back and, eventually, working his way up to the starting gig. Giving the talented third-round pick just one carry in the nailbiter against the Jets simply isn't enough.
Worse yet is that Gainwell earned the lowest PFF grade among the 19 players who saw the field for the Steelers' offense, per Pro Football Focus. His 47.9 run grade backs up what we saw from him on the all-22 tape and is further proof that he doesn't belong in such a big offensive role.
We've seen enough of Kenneth Gainwell over the years to know who he is at this point, and there's not a good enough reason why he should be earning 29 offensive snaps. The Pittsburgh Steelers could soon force him to take a backseat on the depth chart after an ugly Week 1 outing.