The Pittsburgh Steelers released their first depth chart of the offseason, and there is a slew of takeaways to be had. While there is still time to change the names and placement of the players, it gives an early look at how Pittsburgh views its current roster.
While it may not seem like a big deal on paper, one early winner from the initial depth chart is Kaleb Johnson.
The former third-round pick was put into a tough spot this offseason. His rookie season was nothing short of a disaster. The offensive role everyone claimed he would have was never there, and he proved to be more of a liability on special teams than an asset.
Heading into his second season, the Steelers had revamped their running back room. There was good reason to be wary of his standing. However, coming in initially as the third back on the depth chart is a surprising upgrade for him.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may not be done with Kaleb Johnson just yet
While completely cutting ties with a third-roundmore-than-competent pick in only his second season is rare, it felt like the perfect storm was brewing for Johnson. The Steelers added a more than competent second option to pair with Jaylen Warren in Rico Dowdle.
That wasn’t all, as they also signed Travis Homer and drafted Eli Heidenreich. Homer is an established special teams player (something typically mandated for reserve running backs), while Heidenreich has both offensive and special teams potential.
The more you thought about it, the harder it got to justify giving him a roster spot unless he made himself uncuttable. He still needs to have a good rest of training camp and preseason, but it seems like the Steelers are at least giving him a chance.
It wasn’t surprising to see Johnson be ahead of Heidenreich; the seventh-round rookie hasn’t proven anything yet.
Being ahead of Homer is a different story. I think there is a good reason to believe that if the team only kept three backs, Homer would make the most sense. Pittsburgh may be more interested in trying to revive Johnson’s sputtering career.
He is clearly doing enough in practice to warrant a longer look. Now that will have to continue into the preseason games. If he has truly turned the corner, though, he could be in for a big workload.
This could be the start of a turning point for a once-viewed draft bust. Johnson is clearly doing everything right as it stands, and it could lead to him saving his roster spot this year.
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