Pittsburgh Steelers rookie RB Kaleb Johnson made a boneheaded play in the fourth quarter in the Steelers’ 31-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He failed to field a kick that landed in the landing zone. This led to Seattle recovering the ball for a touchdown to take a two-score lead.
Johnson took accountability for the mistake after the game. Still, Mike Tomlin said he won’t play on kick returns, at least for the short-term future. Taking it a step further, former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger thinks we may not see Johnson for a long time. [On his Footbahlin podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90RNtcGo994), Roethlisberger said that, barring injury, he believes Johnson may not play the rest of the year.
“After last week, not getting much action, and this week, that happening. Unless injuries or something happen, we may not see him again the rest of the year,” Roethlisberger said. “There’s a chance. I don’t want to just call it a doghouse, but it’s tough. It’s a tough place, a tough situation.”
Johnson had just two offensive snaps in each Week 1 and Week 2. If he isn’t contributing on offense or special teams, it would be a waste of a spot to dress him. The team has RB Trey Sermon on their practice squad, and, in the short term, they could elevate him.
Tomlin said he wants to allow Johnson to earn his kick return spot back, but even before his mental gaffe, he wasn’t doing all that well. It’s not something he did much of at Iowa either, as he had 15 kick returns during his college career and only two since 2023. Johnson deserves more of a look as a runner, but that’s likely not going to come this week, as the team may opt to bench him in the wake of the mistake last week.
If he is active, the Steelers have to get Johnson more involved in the offense. Otherwise, they’re not doing themselves any good by playing him over someone who can contribute elsewhere.
I’d be surprised if Johnson’s punishment leads to him not playing again this season. After all, the state of Pittsburgh’s run game isn’t great. They aren’t lighting it up, and they can’t afford to sit their third-round pick for a season to teach a lesson. It also does Johnson no good for the rest of his career if the defining moment of his season is a mistake and he doesn’t get a chance to redeem himself.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Steelers handle Johnson going forward, though. There is certainly a chance he’s inactive for the foreseeable future.