Kaleb Johnson
Kaleb Johnson
The Pittsburgh Steelers are trading RB Kaleb Johnson to the Green Bay Packers, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Despite the Steelers selecting him in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the team is already moving on from him.
Trade: The Steelers are trading running back Kaleb Johnson to the Packers.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 30, 2026
The return for Johnson wasn’t immediately known, but we will update as soon as it’s reported.
Johnson himself was the first to hint at the news with this Instagram post Sunday afternoon, tagging the Packers’ account.
Kaleb Johnson on IG. Packers? #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/EzBUKtwVFh
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) August 30, 2026
The clean slate that came with a new coaching staff did nothing to change Johnson’s minimal playmaking in the offense and, if anything, meant that Johnson was no longer on the scholarship of being the 83rd overall pick a year ago.
Johnson struggled as a rookie and rarely saw the field, logging just 51 offensive snaps. He carried the ball 28 times for 69 yards, a 2.5-yard average with only a pair of first downs. He struggled to create value outside of being a runner; he was a limited receiver and blocker who wasn’t trusted to protect quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Pittsburgh attempted to utilize Johnson on kick returns, but a Week 2 gaffe against the Seattle Seahawks, where he let a live ball roll by him that Seattle recovered for a touchdown, quickly ended those plans. Johnson spent part of the season as a gameday inactive and did not dress for the Steelers’ Wild Card game against the Houston Texans.
Johnson opened this summer as the No. 3 running back. He quickly lost that footing to Travis Homer and Lew Nichols. Johnson hardly played in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener and did not take the field in the first half. He logged just five total offensive snaps – with three more on special teams – and two carries. Seventh-round rookie Eli Heidenreich saw the bulk of the second-half action despite hardly practicing in the days leading up to the game due to a minor leg injury.
Across three preseason games this summer, Johnson registered 17 carries for 53 yards.
In Green Bay, Johnson will provide depth as the Packers have a murky situation with starting RB Josh Jacobs. Jacobs was officially charged with two felony accounts after allegedly getting into an altercation with his girlfriend. He could be subject to league discipline.
Johnson is Pittsburgh’s first top-100 pick who failed to make the roster ahead of their second season since OG Kraig Urbik in 2010. Running back Dri Archer was cut midway through his sophomore season in 2015. Despite beat writers believing that Johnson would remain with the team, the writing seemed to be on the wall that he wouldn’t make the roster. Trading him for something in return was preferable to waiving him for nothing.
Trading Johnson incurs a 2026 dead money charge of over $318,000.
In trading RB Kaleb Johnson to the Packers, the Steelers will incur a 2026 dead money charge of $318,557 and another dead money charge of $637,114 in 2027. #Steelers #NFL
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) August 30, 2026
Pittsburgh drafted Johnson for then-OC Arthur Smith’s outside zone and tight end-heavy offense. The Steelers have a new offensive approach, and Johnson clearly didn’t fit in those plans.