Pittsburgh Steelers Make Surprising RB Decision

When the Pittsburgh Steelers selected running back Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the NFL Draft back in April, just about everyone assumed he would be getting a significant amount of touches in 2025.

After all, Johnson dominated at Iowa last season, racking up 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns to lead the Big Ten in both categories. Plus, the Steelers allowed Najee Harris to walk via free agency, setting the stage for Johnson to potentially split carries with Jaylen Warren, if not usurp him. Right?

Well, not necessarily. At least from what we have seen in the preseason.

Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus has revealed some bad news for Johnson, noting that Warren appears to be the starter and that Kenneth Gainwell may be Pittsburgh's primary choice on third downs.

"Most fantasy managers assumed that third-round rookie Kaleb Johnson would be the Steelers' early-down back this season while Warren played on passing downs. The first two weeks of the preseason showed that Gainwell is clearly in their plans. He was the starter in the two preseason games, whereas Warren was among the veterans who had the day off," Jahnke wrote.

Jahnke went on to explain that Johnson may not see the heavy playing time that most anticipated heading into his rookie campaign. Not right away, anyway.

"While Johnson could end up playing 50% of the team's offensive snaps at some point, it seems like we are at least a few weeks away," Jahnke wrote. "Previously, the general thinking was that Warren wouldn't play more than 60% of the snaps, giving Johnson a safe 40% rate. Now, he would need to beat out Warren for any early-down snaps. Anyone drafting Johnson should not expect him to be in their fantasy starting lineup this month."

Of course, this doesn't mean that Johnson does not figure into the Steelers' plans at all. But perhaps Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff prefer to ease him into action rather than throw him to the wolves right away.

Pittsburgh has generally always relied heavily on its rushing attack, so Johnson absolutely will have a role at some point. We just don't know when that will be.