With Nick Chubb (calf) returning to practice Monday, as reported by Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, Johnson may not be the lead back Week 8 against the Steelers.
Last week, Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski was optimistic Chubb could return for the Pittsburgh game, and the coach sounded even more confident Monday. "He's gotten a lot of work done this last couple weeks. He's feeling good. He's continuing to get rehab, and I think he's excited to get back out there. We'll see how it goes over the next couple days and see if he can," Stefanski said. To be clear, Ulrich reported Chubb's return to practice but did not speculate on the impact a potential return would have on Johnson's playing time. Logically though, if Chubb is ready to play, then Johnson's role will be diminished.