Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-0, 225 lbs |
| Birthplace: Cincinnati, OH |
| Age: 23 |
| School: Iowa |
| Experience: 2 |
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1:10Geno Smith Leads TD Drive in Jets Return
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1:30Allar Shows Flashes, Howard Struggles in Shutout Loss
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0:30Highlights: Jets at Steelers (8/21)
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0:42All Rise For Allar
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0:50Aaron Rodgers Will Not Play Against His Former Team
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1:02Drew Allar and Will Howard To Get all Reps Against the Jets
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0:55Bo Nix To Make 2026 Preseason Debut
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1:41Steelers QB Battle: Will Howard vs. Drew Allar
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9:16Issues To Address: AFC North
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1:30NFL 30 Over 30: Rodgers Does Not Make The Cut
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1:59Tyler Biadasz Out Indefinitely With ACL Injury
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1:33Most Impressive Rookie QB So Far: Drew Allar
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1:42Drew Allar's 3 TDs Lead Steelers Past Packers
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1:39Aaron Rodgers: 'Preseason is Not Real Football'
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1:47Aaron Rodgers Hates Preseason: "It's Not Real Football"
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1:41Colts Wide Receiver Room Dealing With Injuries
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1:42What is the Steelers' Biggest Question?
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1:52Packers at Steelers: Preseason Position Battles to Watch
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1:38Mike McCarthy Reunion: Green Bay vs Pittsburgh
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1:46What Are The Packers' Biggest Questions?
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Top Kaleb Johnson News
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Steelers' Kaleb Johnson: In danger of being cut
The Athletic's Mike DeFabo believes Johnson is in real danger of being cut by the Steelers prior to the start of the regular season.
"Cutting a third-round pick one year after he's drafted would be a tough look for the Steelers, but it sure seems to be trending that direction based on the way the carries have been split in practices and in the first preseason game," DeFabo wrote Wednesday. While Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle rested, Johnson played behind both Travis Homer and Lew Nichols in the preseason opener last week and didn't see his first carry until the third quarter. He's buried on the depth chart and continues to make mistakes on special teams, as Johnson was seen getting chewed out on the sideline by special teams coordinator Danny Crossman against Green Bay last Thursday. Considering Johnson doesn't excel on special teams, and Homer does as the person protector on the punt team, the 2025 third-rounder Johnson may be on the outs with the new coaching staff. It might be best for Johnson to get a fresh start elsewhere after playing just 51 offensive snaps across 10 regular-season appearances as a rookie last season.
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Steelers' Kaleb Johnson: Set to work behind top RB duo
As the coming season approaches, Johnson is set to compete for depth slotting in a Pittsburgh backfield led by Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle, Brian Batko of the Steelers' official site reports.
Johnson, whom the Steelers took in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, recorded just 28 carries for 69 yards and one catch for nine yards over 10 regular-season games as a rookie. With Warren and Dowdle clearly atop the team's RB depth chart in 2026, Johnson doesn't have a clear path to steady carries in his second year as a pro. Also in the backfield mix are Travis Homer, Lew Nichols and rookie seventh-rounder Eli Heidenreich, but in any case Johnson will be off the fantasy lineup radar as long as Warren and Dowdle are available.
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Steelers' Kaleb Johnson: Disappointing workload as rookie
Johnson recorded 28 carries for 69 yards while securing one of two targets for nine yards over 10 appearances during the 2025 regular season.
Although Johnson was a third-round pick by the Steelers in the 2025 NFL Draft, playing time was hard to come by during his rookie year, as he played double-digit offensive snaps in just one game. He was also a healthy scratch for the final three weeks of the regular season. Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell served as the Steelers' clear top running backs throughout the year. Johnson could have a chance to compete for more work in 2026 if Gainwell -- who is slated to become an unrestricted free agent during the offseason -- heads elsewhere. Even if Gainwell plays for another team next year, Johnson could face an uphill battle for playing time as long as Warren remains in Pittsburgh.
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Steelers' Kaleb Johnson: Remains inactive in Week 18
Johnson (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday night's contest against the Ravens.
Johnson will be a healthy scratch for the third straight week to end the regular season. The Steelers will operate with Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell as their two options in the backfield versus Baltimore.
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Steelers' Kaleb Johnson: Healthy scratch again
Johnson (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Browns.
Johnson finds himself a healthy scratch yet again. The Steelers have elected to ride with just two active running backs yet again, relying on Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. It seems that Johnson has been fully phased out, and he may remain a game-day scratch for the rest of the season.
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Steelers' Kaleb Johnson: Sitting out Week 16
Johnson (coach's decision) is a healthy scratch for Sunday's clash against the Lions.
Johnson has been getting very little work on offense with just eight snaps over his past three games. He'll be entirely out of the picture Sunday, representing his fifth missed contest this season. Pittsburgh has just two running backs -- Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell -- active against Detroit.
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Steelers' Kaleb Johnson: Sees limited involvement once again
Johnson gained four yards on two carries during Monday's 28-15 win over the Dolphins.
Although Jaylen Warren was questionable for Monday's matchup due to an illness, he was able to suit up, and Johnson saw a minimal workload once again. He was on the field for just two offensive snaps and was limited to two carries for a third consecutive week. Kenneth Gainwell has been the primary beneficiary when Warren has been limited this year, and that's unlikely to change over the final few weeks of the regular season.
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Steelers' Kaleb Johnson: Another minimal workload in Week 14
Johnson rushed twice for four yards during Sunday's 27-22 win over the Ravens.
The Steelers' running game failed to make much of an impact in Week 14, as Kenneth Gainwell led the team with four carries for 15 yards and a touchdown, while Jaylen Warren produced an inefficient 13 yards on eight carries. However, those two backs saw a nearly even split of playing time, with Warren playing 50 percent of the offensive snaps and Gainwell playing 48 percent. Johnson was once again the clear No. 3 back, as he was on the field for just three offensive snaps against Baltimore. The rookie has been limited to single-digit snaps in each of his last five appearances, and he's rushed 12 times for 29 yards while securing his lone target for nine yards during that time.
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Steelers' Kaleb Johnson: Two carries in Week 13
Johnson rushed twice for three yards during Sunday's 26-7 loss to Buffalo.
Johnson didn't take the field during last week's loss to Chicago, and he played just three offensive snaps during Sunday's Week 13 matchup. The Steelers have continued to deploy Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell as their top two running backs, and Johnson is unlikely to have a fantasy-relevant role late in the year as long as those two remain healthy. Johnson has appeared in just eight games this season, rushing 24 times for 61 yards while securing one of two targets for nine yards.
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Steelers' Kaleb Johnson: Doesn't see field against Chicago
Johnson didn't take the field during Sunday's 31-28 loss to Chicago.
Johnson had been limited to single-digit offensive snaps in each of Pittsburgh's last three games, but he didn't log a play Week 12. Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell continue to serve as the Steelers' top two running backs, and Johnson has been unable to carve out a fantasy-relevant role to begin his rookie year.
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Steelers' Kaleb Johnson: Plays eight snaps in Week 11
Johnson rushed five times for 15 yards during Sunday's 34-12 win over the Bengals.
Despite Sunday's lopsided score, the Steelers sustained several prominent injuries, including a wrist injury for Aaron Rodgers and an ankle injury that Jaylen Warren sustained in the third quarter. The latter's health concern led to a slightly increased role for Johnson, although Kenneth Gainwell saw the biggest uptick in usage. However, Warren said after the matchup that he could have returned to the game, so it seems likely that he'll be available for Pittsburgh's Week 12 tilt in Chicago. Assuming Warren and Gainwell remain available against the Bears, Johnson should continue to have minimal fantasy upside.
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