When the Pittsburgh Steelers used their second selection of the 2025 NFL Draft on a running back, I’m not sure they envisioned him sitting on the bench for over 90 percent of their offensive snaps. Yet that’s been Kaleb Johnson’s reality so far, playing just 43 offensive snaps with 23 total touches.
OC Arthur Smith was asked Thursday what it would take to get Johnson more involved. Let’s just say his answer doesn’t sound promising for Johnson’s chances this season.
“Hopefully we get in a game where I can call 40 runs. That would be nice. We have yet to get there,” Smith said in a transcript provided by the team. “It would be nice to do that on Sunday.”
The Steelers haven’t even come close to that 40-carry threshold this season. The most they’ve had is 29 in a game, and they are averaging 22.9 per game. In other words, they would have to experience a complete breakthrough over the final two months of the season for Johnson to get a real chance. That’s unlikely to happen.
To be fair, they are already struggling to find Jaylen Warren enough carries as it is. Most would agree that he deserves more than the 13 per game that he is currently getting. But it’s hard to build a team through the draft and usher in new talent when high draft picks are sitting on the bench.
What happened to Johnson being the “perfect fit” that Smith could hardly contain his excitement about? Mike Tomlin also said shortly after he was drafted in the third round that it was an easy evaluation of how he would translate to the next level because he ran against stacked boxes at Iowa. That praise continued into training camp when Tomlin said Johnson showed up in top shape. It sounded like the makings of a promising rookie season.
He has shown flashes that justify the draft excitement. Arguably his best play of the season got called back this past week due to a facemask penalty called on him. He showed quickness to bounce outside, burst to get around the edge, and even had a good idea to throw the stiff arm. It’s a shame that he ended up costing the team 15 yards instead of the 13-yard gain that it nearly was.
Even his biggest doubters would have figured that Johnson would have more than 22 carries for 58 yards by now. Based on Smith’s statement today, we shouldn’t expect that to increase over the final stretch of the season.
For now, Johnson will remain an insurance policy who may or may not even get an offensive snap on any given Sunday.
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