Will Kaleb Johnson still play even though Mike Tomlin is benching him on kick returns?
On Tuesday, Mike Tomlin announced that rookie RB Kaleb Johnson won’t return kicks for now, but will he still play? A third-round pick out of Iowa, Johnson has hardly had a role on offense so far. He has only played a few snaps, totaling two touches for net-negative yardage.
In his NFL debut, Johnson fumbled on a kick return, but the Steelers didn’t blink. It helped that they recovered the ball, but Tomlin left him out there. On Sunday, however, he failed to field a kick that took an awkward bounce. Whether he knew the rule about the ball being live and just had a brain fart or not, it really doesn’t matter.
But the thing is, if Kaleb Johnson isn’t returning kicks, what will he be doing? Through two games, the Steelers have shown an excessive interest in utilizing Kenneth Gainwell. And they are still ramping up Jaylen Warren’s touches, which they’ll want to do more of after Sunday’s game.
So if Warren and Gainwell have the offense covered for now, there’s not much for Johnson to do. Will they dress him for just a couple potential snaps? Are they even comfortable with him taking snaps, or would they rather elevate Trey Sermon?
Tomlin said that Johnson has to earn back his role on kick returns, but that’s something that happens in practice. At least based on usage, Johnson hasn’t earned much of a role on offense yet, either. So much for the theories that he would take over as the Steelers’ starting running back by the end of October.
Equally silly, though, if not more so, are the people who are already writing off his entire future. Some have even suggested that the Steelers should cut Kaleb Johnson, which, just—no. Silliness, just two games into his career.
But the reality is Johnson has, in no way, shape, or form, exhibited any signs that he is fully ready for an active role right now. Whether that’s on offense or special teams, he simply hasn’t shown it. Perhaps they want to start working him into the running back rotation. Perhaps they want him to focus on only that, and stop worrying about kick returns. Or perhaps they just don’t want him hurting the team right now as they focus their attentions on better-prepared contributors.
After another disappointing season and months of retooling, the Steelers are set to try it all again in 2025. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. They settled in on Aaron Rodgers, but we still have a lot to learn about him. The 2025 NFL Draft class could play a big role, but veteran additions like Jalen Ramsey will be paramount.
Now we are in the regular season. From Rodgers to George Pickens to Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ramsey, we’ve seen the Steelers make some big changes. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and figuring out how it all works out.
