In 2024, the Pittsburgh Steelers finished with a 10-7 record. That was good enough to make the wild-card weekend, but the Steelers lost 28-14 to the Ravens.
Last season, Najee Harris was Pittsburgh’s workhorse RB. He led the team with 263 carries and 1,043 rushing yards. Harris had 143 more carries than backup Jaylen Warren. This offseason, the Steelers did not re-sign Harris. In the third round of the 2025 NFL draft, the Steelers selected RB Kaleb Johnson out of Iowa. On the team’s first official depth chart, Johnson is listed as the third-string RB.
The starting RB job in Pittsburgh will not he handed to Kaleb Johnson
Kaleb Johnson RB 3 👀 https://t.co/47sxL8gSNN
— FootballFan (@BestBallGenius) August 5, 2025
It’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers value rookie RB Kaleb Johnson highly. The 21-year-old fits the physical profile of an every-down RB in the NFL. He’s six feet, 225 pounds. During his final season at Iowa, Kaleb Johnson rushed for a career-high 1,537 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns. In 2024, he was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press. Rookie Kaleb Johnson has the potential to come into the league and have instant success.
However, Pittsburgh will handle this the “Steeler Way” as the 2025 season approaches. Kaleb Johnson is not going to be handed the starting job. Jaylen Warren was listed as the starter on the team’s first official depth chart. Kenneth Gainwell is the backup. That leaves rookie Kaleb Johnson as RB3. This is not a concern for those who know how the Steelers operate.
Off the initial Steelers’ depth chart, Tomlin is being Tomlin. Kaleb Johnson isn’t even the number 2 back, he is sitting behind Warren & Gainwell (I don’t see that being the case for long though).
— Trey Carney (@CarneyMedia) August 5, 2025
Jaylen Warren has served as a backup for each of the last three seasons. The 26-year-old has never started a game for the Steelers. Warren has appeared in at least 15 games in all three of his professional seasons. Knowing head coach Mike Tomlin, he’ll likely start the season with Jaylen Warren. That doesn’t mean Kalen Johnson will not see his fair share of action.
Kaleb Johnson is third-string with two experienced RBs ahead of him. It will take hard work and continued success for the rookie to earn a starting job with the Steelers. Throughout training camp, Johnson has taken first-team reps with Pittsburgh. It’s well-known that Steelers OC Arthur Smith loves to run the football. Kaleb Johnson proved he can be a workhorse RB in college and is waiting to prove that in the NFL. At some point in 2025, Johnson should take over as starting RB for the Steelers.
