When the Pittsburgh Steelers let Najee Harris walk in free agency, it was obvious that they would be bringing in more talent to pair with Jaylen Warren. Harris gave the Steelers all he had, but he never quite lived up to his first-round pedigree.
Omar Khan's answer at running back came in the NFL draft, selecting Iowa's Kaleb Johnson in the third round. Johnson had a massive season in 2024, rushing for over 1,500 yards and 21 touchdowns. He profiles as a workhorse back with the size and youth to be a perennial 1,000-yard rusher.
The question now is whether he can supplant Warren as Pittsburgh's top back early on, or will Warren's experience and toughness allow him to hold the rookie off.
Pittsburgh Steelers may have a tough decision between Jaylen Warren and Kaleb Johnson
Before I break down how this camp battle may play out, I think it's important to remember that both Warren and Johnson will likely see the field plenty in 2025. Most teams (including the Steelers in recent years) feature at least two, sometimes even three, running backs in a rotation.
Gone are the days of multiple players getting 80% or more of their teams rushing attempts.
Still, one of them will be the primary back. Warren should be in the driver's seat to start mandatory practices, and that will likely remain the case until at least partway through training camp.
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Mike Tomlin has a tendency to bring his rookies along slowly, especially when there is a trusted veteran ahead of them on the depth chart. Johnson will get a real shot at earning the starting job, but it may not happen until after the season has already kicked off.
Warren has been very effective on a per-snap basis during his three years with Pittsburgh, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. That has come in limited touches, however, with just 7.2 attempts per game over that same timeframe.
That lack of a full workload is the main reason he could fall back into his role as a change of pace back sooner rather than later. Add in Johnson's natural feel for Arthur Smith's preferred wide-zone rushing attack, and my money is on the Iowa product ultimately leading the team in carries by season's end.
