There’s a lot we already know about Pittsburgh Steelers running backs Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. Two players we know far less about, Kaleb Johnson and Lew Nichols, got plenty of action in the Steelers’ 17-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium. Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph liked what he saw from those two.
“I think you saw some streaks, some flashes last week,” Rudolph said of Johnson via the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “Probably a lot of nerves in anyone’s first game. But man, he ran it well tonight.”
Rudolph’s referring to Johnson’s first NFL game against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. He got eight carries then, but was less than impressive with just 20 yards. At times he looked tentative, which isn’t out of the ordinary for a rookie in their first preseason action.
His performance against Tampa Bay was much better. Johnson ran the ball 11 times for 50 yards, good enough for 4.5 yards per carry. But most importantly, what the stat sheet doesn’t tell you is the purpose with which he ran. After looking a little timid last week, Johnson was much more fluid and instinctual with the ball in his hands on Saturday. This run is an excellent example of that, as Johnson hits the hole with speed and makes some decisive cuts at the second level.
Johnson wasn’t the only back to stand out either. Lew Nichols did as well, according to Rudolph.
“Lew did a great job toting the rock,” the veteran QB said. “So great to see that from both of them.”
Nichols was the Steelers’ second-leading rusher behind Johnson, but he did it on far less carries. Nichols ran the ball just three times, but he picked up 42 yards, good for an impressive 14 yards per carry. That came off the back of this long run, one in which Nichols broke multiple tackles.
The Steelers have a few running backs ahead of Nichols on the depth chart. However, he’s starting to force his way into the conversation. Last week he was the only Steelers back who ran the ball well. This week he finished just eight yards behind Johnson on eight less carries. It’s a small sample size, but he’s impressing in a major way so far.
One thing is for sure: the Steelers ran the ball much better this week. Johnson and Nichols were the two biggest difference makers in that regard, each making their push and hoping to be rewarded on the depth chart heading into the final week of the preseason.
