The Pittsburgh Steelers have activated LB Kyron Johnson to the Active/Inactive roster from the practice squad today, the team announced. The Steelers play the Arizona Cardinals tomorrow in their Week 13 matchup, and Johnson will likely see his first action with the Steelers in that game.
Johnson signed with Pittsburgh’s practice squad on October 10. The team had a pre-draft interest in him coming out of Kansas, where he had 8.5 TFL and 6.5 sacks with four forced fumbles as a senior for the Jayhawks. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, though, but was brought to Pittsburgh this season after being released by the Eagles on October 3. He was a sixth-round pick by Philadelphia in the 2022 NFL Draft.
He appeared in 16 games for the Eagles in 2022, making eight tackles. His elevation is likely due to his experience on special teams. He played 265 special teams snaps last season compared to just 18 on defense. With ILB Tariq Carpenter ineligible to be elevated again as he’s reached the limit of three, it appears that the Steelers will turn to Johnson to fill the special teams role that Carpenter held the last three games.
Johnson’s athleticism is his main calling card. At Kansas’ Pro Day, Johnson, who measured in at 6003 and 231 pounds, ran a 4.40 40-yard dash with a 39.5-inch vertical leap and an impressive 6.98-three cone. While he likely won’t get any defensive snaps for Pittsburgh unless out of pure necessity, it’ll be interesting to see if Johnson can contribute similarly to Carpenter on special teams.
Carpenter had two tackles in three games for the Steelers, but couldn’t be elevated again. A player can only be elevated three times in one season. Johnson has a similar build and had a lot of special teams experience with Philadelphia last season, so he’s a natural pick to come up and fill a similar role.
