The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t spend their second pick of the 2025 NFL Draft on a running back just to watch him sit on the bench. Yet through the first quarter of the season, that’s been Kaleb Johnson’s reality. Fans have seen only a glimpse — 15 snaps on offense across four games — but Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff watch him every day, and they like what they see.
“I think that he’s gonna continue to get better with opportunity,” Tomlin said via the Steelers’ YouTube. “He doesn’t have control over when those opportunities occur, and so when he gets ’em, he better make the best of ’em. I love the way that he’s working during the course of the work week from a practice perspective.”
Tomlin was unusually effusive in his praise for Johnson at the start of training camp. Normally showing tough love at first with his words about rookies, Tomlin praised Johnson’s level of conditioning and his effort at practice. That effort hasn’t fallen off nearly three months later, even after some hiccups in limited regular season appearances.
Johnson’s path to playing time isn’t immediately obvious. Kenneth Gainwell just further solidified himself as the top backup to Jaylen Warren with 134 yards from scrimmage. And Warren is set to come back from a minor knee injury that held him out in Week 4. Regardless, he’s still just two snaps away from finding himself with a big role. The team isn’t going to let their third-round rookie waste away on the bench permanently.
“We got 13-straight games ahead of us. I’m sure he’s gonna get more opportunities to let his talent show and, more importantly, to develop talent and experience,” Tomlin said. “He’s a third-year junior…As a leader, I embrace the get-better component of his profile, and sometimes that’s gonna require work. Sometimes it’s not always gonna be pleasant moments. But that’s what they pay me for.”
The Steelers’ only loss this year is at least partially attributable to Johnson’s mistake on special teams, letting the ball bounce over his head as a live ball for a free touchdown for the Seattle Seahawks. Beyond that, his first few carries netted negative yards on the ground. He didn’t even log a single snap on offense or special teams in Week 3. But he made the most of his limited opportunities in Week 4 with a solid run or two.
You can at least see some of what could eventually make Kaleb Johnson successful in Arthur Smith’s wide zone scheme here.
Sets up his block well and cuts back inside for a 9-yd gain.#Steelers pic.twitter.com/jiXMD8qew8
— Ross McCorkle (@Ross_McCorkle) September 30, 2025
Chances are pretty good that Johnson will play a big role in at least a game or two down the stretch this season. What matters now is that he continues to look better behind the scenes in practice.
Rookie running back Kaleb Johnson is quietly earning trust, even while sitting on the sidelines.