In the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense, there are several players who can make Aaron Rodgers’ life easier, with the veteran quarterback turning 42 towards the end of this season. According to former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum, rookie running back Kaleb Johnson could have a huge impact on the offense in 2025.
“Sneaky big news to me is Kaleb Johnson, third-round pick, Iowa running back,” Tannenbaum said Thursday on ESPN’s Get Up. “He’s [Aaron Rodgers] gonna be 42-years old, he does not like to get hit. And what does Arthur Smith like to do? Run the ball, play-action. And if Kaleb Johnson can get going and this offensive line can play better, Aaron Rodgers is gonna have a very good year. His skill set could work. But he’s not gonna want to sit back there and get pounded.”
Since the topic of Rodgers possibly joining the Steelers came up months ago, many have wondered what an offense led by Rodgers and Arthur Smith might look like. The two have been in communication for a while now sorting things out. In the end, it will probably look something similar to what Tannenbaum describes here.
Earlier in his career, you’d obviously base your offense around Rodgers. But he’s just not the same player he used to be. And at his age, you don’t want him just sitting in the pocket all day, and you definitely don’t want to be in third-and-long situations often. Those are both areas in which Johnson can help.
Kaleb Johnson is a downhill runner who runs with strength, similar to how Najee Harris looked coming out of college. That might scare some Steelers fans, but Johnson is definitely more explosive. He can pound the ball up the middle over and over again. However, he’s no stranger to breaking off major runs that end up in six points.
It’s unclear what role Johnson will have at the start of the season. He’s gettingplenty of hype this summer. But it’s important to note that he is a third-round rookie. Pittsburgh also already has Jaylen Warren on the roster. At the most, Johnson will probably split carries with Warren to begin the year. With his own issues in pass protection, Warren and Kenneth Gainwell should see reps over him in passing situations.
However, if Johnson starts to hit his stride, it’s not like he won’t get more carries. His ability to eat carries and churn out yards should be a big help for Rodgers. He faced a ton of stacked boxes at Iowa, and still managed to put tremendous numbers. If he can make teams respect the Steelers’ run game, it will make a load of difference and help the offense open up more in general.
