Kaleb Johnson’s disappointing start to his rookie season came to a head when he committed an inexcusable special teams error that led to an opposing touchdown during the Steelers’ Week 2 loss to the Seahawks.Â
Johnson’s mistake has led to his demotion from special teams, at least for now.Â
“I’m certainly going to give him an opportunity to work his way back from that area,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday. “I believe in his talent. He’s a sharp young man. He’s a hard worker, and so you leave the light on for him. You give him an opportunity to move on from it. But he has to do that. He has to display that with his daily work, and he’s got to earn himself back in the position to be a participant. And so we’ll see where the roads lead us. I’m open to it, certainly.”Â
A former standout at Iowa, Johnson was drafted by Pittsburgh in the third round to help fill the void left by Najee Harris’ departure via free agency. It was expected that Johnson would have a considerable role in Pittsburgh’s offense while complementing new starting running back Jaylen Warren.Â
Through two games, though, Johnson has yet to make any type of impact. He had one carry for 1 yard in Pittsburgh’s Week 1 win over the Jets and had just one carry for -2 yards in Sunday’s 31-17 loss to Seattle. As previously alluded to, Johnson’s afternoon on Sunday also included his muffed kickoff that resulted in a Seahawks touchdown.Â
“I’ve just gotta get better every day,” Johnson said after the game. “That’s all I have to say about this. … Just gotta move on. It’s part of football. It’s part of life.”
While no one could have anticipated this slow of a start, Johnson’s lack of success shouldn’t be too surprising to anyone that followed Pittsburgh’s training camp and preseason. During that span, Johnson often looked hesitant and unsure of himself.Â
Johnson did run with more confidence and decisiveness in Pittsburgh’s preseason finale, but he still finished the exhibition season with an underwhelming 3.92 yards-per-carry. Johnson also didn’t make an impact in the passing game with just 17 yards on three receptions.
Johnson was actually out-played during the preseason by Trey Sermon, a former third-round pick of the 49ers who scored touchdowns on the ground and as a receiver. While it wasn’t enough to earn him a spot on the 53-man roster, Sermon’s impressive summer did land him a spot on Pittsburgh’s practice squad.Â
For now, it appears that Warren will handle the lion’s share of the workload in the Steelers’ backfield until Johnson shows that he is capable of producing when his number is called. In Sunday’s game against Seattle, Warren had 14 carries for 48 yards in addition to catching each of his four targets for 86 yards that included an impressive 65-yard catch-and-carry.Â
“Jaylen’s a great player,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said following Sunday’s game. “He brings a lot to the table. Might have to keep giving him more opportunities in the passing game, because every time he touches it, something good happens.”Â
While Warren appears to be in line for more work, Johnson still have plenty of time this season to change the narrative on his rookie campaign. His coach is counting on him to do just that.Â
“He hasn’t had an opportunity to physically respond,” Tomlin said of Johnson. “Forget what you say. It’s about how you move forward in terms of your work, the level of detail and in the consistency of it. And so we certainly will be watching that closely as we push into this week.”Â
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