JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- With no Jaylen Warren playing, the Pittsburgh Steelers threw rookie Kaleb Johnson to the wolves and allowed him to shoulder most of the workload in the first half of the team’s first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Johnson, the talented running back out of Iowa, is a big hope for the Steelers in creating a more efficient rushing attack, but that didn’t come to fruition on Saturday. He had 8 rushes for 20 yards, adding one reception for six yards with a drop.
With the first-team offense, Johnson had three rushes for 12 yards, a sign there could be more meat on the bone for the rookie who got his feet wet.
“It was good to get my feet wet,” Johnson said. “Overall, it’s a game of development, and me just going out there and playing the best I can.”
Johnson is always blunt on himself, however, and said there are a lot of things to work on. In pass protection, that was hard to gauge because the Jaguars played mostly zone coverage without sending blitzes.
Though, Johnson says he does wish he leaked out earlier on the sack of Mason Rudolph in the first half.
“There’s a lot of things that I can work on,” Johnson said. “I just wanted to get my feet wet and get a feel of the game. Everything’s faster. Just going out there and playing faster. Before the first game comes up, I’ll be all ready to go.”
He had a massive 2024 season, racking up 1537 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. That earned him an All-Big 10 selection and All-American honors as one of the best running backs in college football.
Now, Johnson hopes to round into form throughout the preseason and become a difference maker on Sundays.
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