In the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson. While some fans might’ve wanted a quarterback, running back was also a huge need for the Steelers. Johnson is a talented player, so he should add juice to Pittsburgh’s offense. Arthur Smith made it clear that the dynamic with Johnson and Jaylen Warren will be different compared to when Najee Harris was with the Steelers, though.
“It’ll be different,” Smith said Friday during his press conference after the pick was made via the team’s YouTube channel. “I’ve never been one that compares it, this is the setup we had at this stop. Generally, you’ve got 500+ carries in a regular season.
“You’re talking about 1,100 snaps. You’d like to be on the plus side of 500, that means you’re in more four minute. So, let’s just leave it at 500 carries to divvy up and that’s kind of where you’re at. Then obviously, losing [Harris], I mean [Harris] for four years here was very durable. That’s a lot of missing carries.”
Not everyone loved Harris. He wasn’t the most explosive back in the league, but there were things to like about him. Smith is correct that his durability was incredible. In four years in Pittsburgh, Harris never missed a game. That’s impressive for any player, let alone a running back.
That might be a trait that Steelers fans miss. Last year, Warren started out the season slow, being hampered by a hamstring injury. In the meantime, Harris held things down. Hopefully, Johnson doesn’t have to be thrust into that position, but Smith makes it clear that there’s an opening in this offense with Harris gone.
Johnson has a little experience being a bell-cow running back. In 2024, he posted 240 carries for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns. For reference, Harris had 263 carries last year, and 255 carries the year before that. While that was Johnson’s only collegiate season at that workload, he proved to be up to the task.
Smith also made sure to state that the team believes in Warren and is excited for what he can do this year.
“We’re really excited about where Jaylen’s at coming into this spring as well. Kaleb, like I said, he’ll add a hopefully explosive element to the offense.”
Warren might not be best suited to be a lead back, but with Johnson, he should be able to stick more in his complimentary role. While Johnson isn’t Harris, he should allow the Steelers to utilize a one-two punch in their backfield again. Perhaps they’ll get Kennth Gainwell involved, too. The Steelers’ offense should be better with the addition of Johnson, but we’ll have to wait and see what his true role is.
