He might be listed as the No. 3 running back on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ depth chart behind Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, but rookie Kaleb Johnson has put together a strong training camp and continues to show signs of improvement.
That continuous improvement led to some praise from head coach Mike Tomlin Thursday ahead of the Steelers’ preseason opener Saturday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road.
“I love his general demeanor regarding the get better,” Tomlin said of Johnson, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “He’s a work in progress, like a lot of young runners in terms of blitz pickup. Not only recognition on the NFL level, but technically, you know, the posture that’s required and how to create power and so forth. But he’s been really impressive in that he’s a young man that doesn’t run away from things.
“He runs to things and so he’s getting better in all areas.”
Coming out of Iowa, Johnson was viewed as a great fit for offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s zone-rushing attack. There were no real concerns about his ability as rusher, especially after leading the Big Ten in rushing last season. His receiving out of the backfield is underrated, too.
Where there were concerns with Johnson is in pass protection. So far, he’s worked very hard on it and has made improvement. He’s put in extra work with Warren, one of the best pass-blocking running backs in football and has earned praise from Tomlin and running backs coach Eddie Faulkner for his improvement.
That determination and work ethic to throw himself at a weakness and try to improve is great to see. It’s certainly something that catches the attention of teammates and coaches, and it’s good to hear Tomlin acknowledge Johnson in this way.
He’s going to be a big piece of the offense this season, particularly in the running game. And if he can stay on the field on third downs with his pass-protection abilities, it could allow Arthur Smith to do more with Warren and Gainwell as receiving options.
We’ll see how much Johnson plays Saturday night against the Jaguars, but hopefully he’s able to show flashes of the improvement he’s made so far in training camp.
