The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to see a few major changes on the offensive side of the football during the 2025 season. The first being a new quarterback, whoever it winds up being. The second being DK Metcalf rather than George Pickens, and the third is a lack of Najee Harris. The mainstay in Pittsburgh's backfield over the last four seasons left the team in free agency, and Jaylen Warren is expected to carry the load along with rookie running back Kaleb Johnson. Johnson is exciting prospect, and Pittsburgh got some good value by picking him in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Pittsburgh took advantage of the extremely deep running back class and landed Johnson with the 83rd overall pick. This is much better than when the organization drafted Harris in the first round back in 2021, as Johnson will have less pressure on him to perform well.
The rookie running back set some high goals for himself when speaking with the media as he discussed wanted to eclipse 1,000 yards and winning Offensive Rookie Of The Year, and draft expert Todd McShay spoke glowingly about the back on a recent episode of The McShay Show.
"I thought his vision and feel were the ingredients in his secret sauce." McShay said. "No wasted motion, so much of his game is on feel and vision and he's got good contact balance, sets up his blocks. Everything's smooth. And I just envision him in that Pittsburgh offense, and I think about what Najee Harris was at his best for that Pittsburgh offense, I see him in a rotation with Jaylen Warren, and with Kenneth Gainwell who they brought in. But I think he's the guy. Rookie contract. Running back. Let's squeeze every ounce of juice out of him. And you know Pittsburgh's gonna run the football."
Johnson might not see a ton of volume in his rookie season due to Warren and Kenneth Gainwell being in that room, but he will certainly be worked into the rotation. If he plays well he might be able to out-snap Warren, but that is unlikely considering how good Warren is at all of the little nuances in the game.
Warren has been a great back in Pittsburgh over the last three seasons, and he is a big reason the organization did not spend much time considering signing Harris to a second contract. He is an explosive runner who can be effective in the passing game, and is also one of the best running backs in the league when it comes to pass protection.
Johnson will need to get better in all three phases when it comes to playing running back, but McShay believes he is the right guy for the Steelers roster. He should be able to produce some good numbers throughout his rookie deal, and maybe even past that.
Steelers' Warren Is Going Into Final Year Of His Deal
Warren was an undrafted free agent after the 2022 NFL Draft, and he signed his one-year tender worth $5.3 million during the 2025 offseason. He will be a free agent after the year, assuming an extension is not worked out between him and the franchise. This means Johnson could be the lead back in 2026, and that is probably the goal of the organization for the young player.
Johnson ran for over 1,500 yards during his final year in college for a pretty abysmal offense. He was the lone bright spot, and he was often running into loaded boxes. This is not a recipe for success, but Johnson found a way to make it work. Hopefully this makes his transition to the NFL a little bit easier, which should lead to high production earlier than expected.
