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Despite all of the moves the Pittsburgh Steelers have made in the offseason, things may not work out. That’s especially true if they don’t get T.J. Watt under contract before the season starts. But the focus right now is the 2025 training camp, and here is the Steelers’ most fierce positional battle to watch.
The place to watch is the backfield, where rookie Kaleb Johnson is making a push to unseat starter Jaylen Warren. It should be quite a battle, but there is already talk that Johnson’s upside will make it hard for Warren to hold him off.
Steelers RB Kaleb Johnson eyeing first-team spot
How much push is Johnson making? If you listen to Gilberto Manzano, he’s a potential difference-maker, according to Sports Illustrated.
“How the Steelers’ offense takes shape in 2025 might hinge on Johnson’s development,” Manzano wrote. “If the rookie third-round pick makes an immediate impact, that would allow the young offensive line to establish a rhythm early in games and take pressure off Rodgers, who struggled with mobility last season with the New York Jets.
“There’s also the lack of depth at wide receiver behind Metcalf, meaning the Steelers might depend heavily on Johnson emerging as a productive playmaker in his rookie year.”
If Johnson is going to move into a starting role behind Aaron Rodgers, he will need to do more than just run the ball. Rodgers will demand Johnson excels in pass protection.
However, Mike Tomlin is already throwing praise in Johnson’s direction, according to a post on X by Eliot Clough via hawkeyeswire.com.
“This is a high-volume, capable runner who was the center of his offense,” Tomlin said. “A lot of NFL, Sunday-like runs, if you will. Meaning he did it from the home position or the pistol position into a lot of loaded boxes. It wasn't a lot of guesswork or Saturday-like holes on his tape. And that made the evaluation a fun one and the projection an easy one.”
Johnson is 6-foot-1 and weighs 225 pounds, so size is in his corner. In contrast, Warren brings a 5-8, 215-pound body to the field.
But Tomlin said he’s not focusing on the physical attributes of Johnson.
“Less concerned about the measurables and really more concerned about the play style and the resume,” Tomlin said. “And certainly he is a guy that's capable of high-volume carries.”
Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said the team is excited to have a back like Johnson. Smith called Johnson “explosive,” according to steelers.com.
“Really explosive running back that we spent some time with,” Smith said. “One of the more instinctive backs that I've watched in a couple of years coming out of the draft. (He's a) perfect fit regardless of whatever run scheme you're running. He ran multiple (schemes) at Iowa. Really impressive as a volume runner as the game went on. And one of the more impressive stats you've seen in the fourth quarter — what he averaged in the fourth quarter. I believe it was over 5 yards per carry. Might have been closer to 6. We think he's a great culture fit. Obviously, extremely fired up to get Kaleb in here.”
And Johnson followed suit in his excitement. He said he loves it with the Steelers already.
“I can't wait to get to play on Sundays with these guys, and just overall compete,” Johnson said. “That's the main thing right now – compete, learn the playbook, and get ready for Sunday.”
So where does that leave Jaylen Warren?
First off, Warren isn’t planning on taking a back seat to the rookie. He said he plans on getting plenty of carries in 2025, according to steelers.com.
“I approached this offseason differently,” Warren said. “I did a lot more things for longevity wise, instead of my old-school training. Like just getting the cleats on and running 30 hills. I had to adapt. This game is about longevity. And like they say, the best ability is availability.”
Smith said he understands losing Najee Harris means Warren — or Johnson or newcomer Kenneth Gainwell — will have to eat up carries.
“Generally you've got 500-plus carries in a regular season,” said Smith. “You're talking about 1,100 snaps. You would like to be on the plus side of 500. That means you're in more four-minute. Let's leave it at 500 carries to divvy up. That's kind of where you're at. Then obviously losing Naj (Harris), Naj for four years here, he was very durable, and that's a lot of missing carries.”
