There was an unprecedented amount of hype when the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Kaleb Johnson in the third round. While Derrick Harmon had a lot of eyes on him as the first-round pick, it wasn’t uncommon to see Johnson listed as the most instant-impactful rookie.
At the bare minimum, the expectation was for him to split reps in the backfield and take over Najee Harris’s power back role. There was even a large contingent of fans expecting him to be the bell-cow early in the season.
Instead, Johnson has barely played halfway through the season and is having a miserable rookie season.
His lone impact came negatively, as his fumble gaffe on a kickoff cost the Steelers in week two. Beyond that, he’s played all of 35 snaps on offense and has 52 total yards on offense.
However, his time may be coming, and a breakout game feels like it is on the horizon. In fact, it could come this week against the Bengals.
Pittsburgh Steelers' Kaleb Johnson could flip the script this week against the Bengals
The entire rushing offense felt like it took a step back last week despite finding success on the ground. That was more than likely because they were playing from behind most of the game.
While the Bengals certainly had the Steelers' number earlier this season, I expect the game to be much closer than last time. Add in the fact that an already bad Bengals defense is banged up this week, and Pittsburgh should be able to find success on the ground.
You also saw Aaron Rodgers regress in a major way last week, and it feels like the team will focus on the run more this week.
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Now, let’s be clear, Jaylen Warren will benefit from the focus on the ground game. It feels like he is in store for more snaps with a small regression to Kenneth Gainwell’s role on third downs.
Does that leave the door open to Johnson suddenly getting a huge increase in work? No, but it feels like he could rotate in to give Warren a breather, especially if he is running well this week.
And if the team can get a little lead, it feels like Johnson can get a shot to run against a worn-down defense.
That could lead to a few big runs and a larger role down the road. Even if the Steelers don’t get Johnson that kind of workload this week, it feels like the team is intentionally trying to get him more touches right now.
While Johnson won’t hit the highs that many thought he would this year, it feels like this could be a turning point game for the rookie. Even if this week isn’t it, Johnson feels like he is waiting for his breakout moment.