Kaleb Johnson’s rookie season didn’t play out as many hoped. After being selected in the third round of last year’s draft, Johnson only earned 28 carries for 69 yards as a rookie as Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell split the main workload in the backfield.
With Gainwell now departed and Rico Dowdle brought in, Johnson seemingly finds himself in a similar situation for 2026 with the Pittsburgh Steelers — playing behind two veteran running backs.
Steelers beat writer Ray Fittipaldo, during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan Friday afternoon, shared his thoughts on what the move to acquire Dowdle meant for Johnson.
“Not good. He’s got to hope one of those guys gets injured, and that was not the case last year. Both of those guys got through the season fairly healthy,” Fittipaldo said Friday on 93.7 The Fan. “But you know how it is, running backs, it’s a tough position. So, if Warren or Dowdle gets nicked up, Kaleb Johnson is gonna have his opportunity.”
As Fittipaldo mentioned, both Warren and Gainwell stayed healthy last season, which contributed to Johnson’s lack of playing time. Gainwell played in all 17 games and the only game that Warren missed was against the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin when Gainwell had a season-high in rushes, yards and rushing touchdowns.
The same situation may be in store for Johnson this season. Playing behind two established backs, his best chance to see extended playing time may be in the case of injury.
Will the Steelers add to the running back room in the 2026 Draft?
“I don’t see the Steelers drafting a running back,” Fittipaldo continued. “They’ve got two guys playing on decent mid-range deals and you got a young third round pick who’s developing. So, they’re gonna fill in the pieces there with maybe an undrafted free agent or two. They’ll bring five or six of those guys to camp. But I think they’re pretty set there with Warren, Dowdle, and Johnson’s your number three. He’s gonna have to work and wait, that’s the way it goes. And then whenever there’s an opportunity for him, he’s gotta be ready to seize it this time. He was not ready to seize that opportunity last year when he got it.”
After investing a third round pick in Johnson a year ago and signing Dowdle to a two-year $12.25 million contract, it seems unlikely that Pittsburgh will invest in another running back in the draft. That’s the good news for Johnson.
The other positive spin for Johnson is that 2026 will offer a blank slate thanks to a new coaching staff. At some point in the training camp and the preseason, Johnson will get his opportunity to impress. At that point, it will be incumbent on Johnson to seize the opportunity and prove that he can be a contributor at the NFL level in his second pro season and beyond.
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