Johnson rushed the ball six times for 22 yards in Sunday's 24-21 win over the Vikings.
Jaylen Warren's (knee) absence opened up a lot of opportunity in the Pittsburgh backfield. Kenneth Gainwell was the primary back and performed well, though Johnson did see the most significant opportunity of his rookie season. He was servicable in the role, picking up 14 yards on the ground on a drive early in the fourth quarter to help the Steelers to a field goal. Johnson isn't likely to see much of a role when Pittsburgh returns to the field in Week 6, but it was a small step forward after a poor start to his rookie campaign.
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Steelers' Kaleb Johnson: Minimal involvement in debut
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Johnson rushed the ball once for minus-2 yards in Sunday's 34-32 win over the Jets. He also returned five kickoffs for 132 yards.
Johnson clearly served as Pittsburgh's third running back, with his only rushing attempt coming late in the third quarter. His primary contribution came as a kick returner, though he narrowly escaped disaster when a teammate recovered his fumble on a return late in the first quarter. Johnson had an uneven training camp due to his work as a pass blocker and receiver, so he'll likely continue to be brought along slowly behind Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell.
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Steelers' Kaleb Johnson: Little production in pro debut
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Johnson rushed the ball eight times for 20 yards in Saturday's 31-25 preseason win over the Jaguars. He recorded one reception on two targets for six yards.
Jaylen Warren was rested for the game, giving Johnson the chance to work as Pittsburgh's lead back early into the third quarter. Johnson found running room hard to come by -- his longest gain on the ground went for seven yards -- but he was able to pick up tough yardage on a few occasions. His work both in pass protection and as a pass catcher remains in question, but it was a decent pro debut for Johnson.
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Steelers' Kaleb Johnson: Getting some first-team reps
Rotowire
Johnson was the second running back in with the first-team offense at Thursday's practice, after Jaylen Warren, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
It's just one practice, but nonetheless a good sign that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is preparing Johnson to replace Najee Harris. The Steelers don't have Cordarrelle Patterson (undisclosed) available at the start of training camp, leaving free-agent signings Kenneth Gainwell and Trey Sermon as the veterans for competing for backup roles. The Steelers hope Johnson will end up pushing Warren for more first-team snaps, rather than struggling during camp and worrying about Gainwell/Patterson/Sermon nipping at his heels.
