Player: RB Kaleb Johnson
Stock Value: Even
Reasoning: All things considered, this could have been a worse offseason for Kaleb Johnson between roster construction and coaching changes. Despite his discouraging rookie season, he seems to be going into 2026 with a clean slate. While the Steelers have added running backs, he should have no problem earning a roster spot. At least, no problem if he’s as talented as they believed him to be when they drafted him in the third round.
While the Steelers are clearly not all in on Kaleb Johnson, they’re also clearly not giving up. they signed Rico Dowdle this offseason, but did so only after losing Kenneth Gainwell. That’s a net equivalent move, retaining a two-back structure with Jaylen Warren.
Now, that puts a cap on Johnson’s ability to ascend in his second season, as they clearly already have two accomplished, talented running backs. But right now, his focus needs to be simply earning a roster spot. In that regard, the Steelers didn’t throw anything in his way that he shouldn’t be able to handle.
Outside of Dowdle, the Steelers also added veteran Travis Homer and traded Eli Heidenreich. The former is a journeyman special teamer, the latter a seventh-rounder with a questionable fit. Many are predicting Heidenreich to miss the 53-man roster, with Kaleb Johnson making the cut. Homer may be factored separately, given that his primary role is special teams.
The Steelers drafted Johnson in the third round last year, and everyone immediately set high expectations. They thought he would be their lead runner by October, but he was closer to being inactive than a bell-cow. While he wasn’t necessarily terrible, he just never popped. Some believe his awful special teams gaffe severely damaged his confidence, but even if true, that’s a problem.
Of course, though, what comes next is what matters. On that front, Kaleb Johnson has the support of the new coaching staff. At least that’s what they said when they talked about him. They’re not going to come out and badmouth a second-year player, granted. But he clearly has a chance to earn his roster spot, and maybe even a small role on offense. If he wants to be doubly sure, though, he’d better start leaning into special teams. Just not as a returner.
With the 2026 offseason well underway and many moves made, we have stock to take. Already promisinga year of change, the Steelers are shaking things up. That is unavoidable, of course, when you gut the coaching staff. Mike Tomlin’s resignation has fundamentally changed this football team, including the players on the roster.
After a long season, the Steelers showed the ability to win the division and make the playoffs. But they also showed that their progress was minimal,since they made it no further. Two years in a row, with two different quarterbacks, they went 10-7 and lost in the Wild Card Round. The only differences are they ended the season on a higher note and won the AFC North. But it didn’t help.
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