Heading into the offseason, it always seemed that the Pittsburgh Steelers preferred not to bring Najee Harris back. As such, they made a couple additions to their running back room. A major one was Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. One of the quieter signings of the offseason, though, was Kenneth Gainwell. Gainwell will be wearing No. 14 with Pittsburgh, after an extremely brief stint wearing No. 21 for one day in OTAs.
Speaking to the media Thursday after practice, Gainwell talked about his excitement to switch back to his old number.
“It means a lot to me,” Gainwell said, via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor on X. “I know it was a previous guy [George Pickens] number, but that don’t mean nothing these days, but I’m excited to be back in 14 and continue that legacy.”
Kenneth Gainwell wore No. 14 during all four years of his career so far, which have all been spent with the Philadelphia Eagles. When he signed with the Steelers, that number was taken by George Pickens. It seems clear that the fact Pickens wore the number previously doesn’t matter to him, which makes sense. New signee Montana Lemonious-Craig wore No. 14 earlier in OTAs, but Gainwell is now back in his familiar digits.
Gainwell brings a decent amount of experience to the Steelers’ backfield. Through his four years with the Eagles, he accumulated 1,185 rushing yards on 280 carries, which comes out to a respectable 4.2 yards per carry. He’s made an impact in the receiving game as well, with 721 career receiving yards and one touchdown on 102 receptions.
Gainwell’s never run for 400 yards in a season but has quietly been a solid depth piece throughout his career. He should hold a similar role in Pittsburgh’s backfield this year. Gainwell figures to come in third on the depth chart, behind Johnson and Jaylen Warren. Johnson should get a ton of carries but isn’t the best option when it comes to catching the ball out of the backfield. With that in mind, Gainwell, as well as Warren, should see time as third-down backs in passing situations. He could even produce as a kick returner as well.
Overall, Kenneth Gainwell is a low-risk, high-reward signing. He comes cheap and still has plenty of juice at the age of 26. The Steelers will hope he can make a nice impact behind Johnson and Warren. If wearing his familiar jersey number makes him more comfortable, they’ll be all for it.
