Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin threw a loaf of bread to the pond full of hissing geese in the fanbase and the media who wanted to see Kaleb Johnson punished for his ghastly kickoff miscue Sunday versus the Seattle Seahawks.
Actually, it wasn’t really a loaf of bread. It was more like a handful of crackers.
Tomlin said Johnson is being removed from kickoff duties for the short term. But he wouldn’t rule out giving Johnson another crack at the job later in the season.
“We’ll see where the roads lead us. I’m certainly open to it,” Tomlin said during his weekly Tuesday press conference.
That’s not exactly what the frustrated members of Stiller Nation wanted. Some of them were calling for a trip to the inactive list for Johnson, perhaps a release, a trade, or a banishment to a neighboring woodland forest.
Probably a bit extreme. But, hey, we all saw the play.
The Seahawks just recovered a kickoff in the end zone for a touchdown!
SEAvsPIT on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/0J1gEbqx4r
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025
Stopping short of excommunication for the rookie running back is probably a good idea from Tomlin. Two years after 1990 fifth-round draft choice Barry Foster did exactly the same thing in San Francisco, he led the AFC in rushing and went to the Pro Bowl twice.
“I’m certainly going to give him an opportunity to work his way back from that error,” Tomlin said of Johnson. “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.”
Indeed, Johnson’s special teams error was cataclysmic in the moment, but the furor surrounding it is masking a greater problem.
Forget the kick return gig. Johnson’s slow development is really screwing up the running back rotation.
The rookie from Iowa wasn’t supposed to be a major project pick. As a third-rounder, he was drafted to contribute this year. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to put up 1,000 yards or start all 17 games like his predecessor, Najee Harris, did as a rookie and each of the next three years.
But he was supposed to add … something.
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An alleged perfect fit for Arthur Smith’s zone running approach, Johnson underwhelmed at training camp and during the preseason following a some early flashes throughout the first few days at Saint Vincent College.
It hasn’t gotten any better since then, as Johnson has just two carries for minus-1 yard so far this year.
“I believe in his talent. He’s a sharp, young man,” Tomlin added.
“He’s a hard worker. So, you leave the light on for him.”
Great. But the problem right now is that, since Johnson can’t get on the field on first and second down at all, Jaylen Warren (61 snaps) has to take on even more of those duties than expected, and Kenneth Gainwell (55 snaps) is playing more than he probably should — especially instead of Warren on third downs.
After all, third downs are what Warren does best. He’s a good blitz pickup blocker and a useful receiver out of the backfield. We were certainly reminded of that Sunday with his dynamic 65-yard catch and run against the Seahawks.
Jaylen Warren went crazy on this catch and run ????
SEAvsPIT on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/fKSeR78pKg
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025
“I thought Jaylen came to play. I thought he won one-on-ones. He oftentimes made the first tackler miss. He had a good pad level and downhill finish in his play,” Tomlin said.
Yet Gainwell has been on the field for 43 pass plays, according to Pro Football Focus. Warren has only been out there for 34.
Gainwell has 12 carries already in Pittsburgh. Last year in Philadelphia, he had eight through the first five weeks.
None of this negative commentary is toward Gainwell. He’s a nice player, and I liked the signing. It’s just that there is some replication of skills there with what Warren brings to the table, and no one seems capable of replicating (let alone advancing) the production Harris added as a first and second down back.
The goal of this running back rotation never should have been one that resulted in Warren consistently yielding third down and/or pass-catching duties to Gainwell. In a perfect world, Warren and Johnson should be taking on the bulk of the work like Harris is doing in Los Angeles with Chargers rookie Omarion Hampton.
Gainwell should be a third-down reserve and special teams contributor. Maybe he can absorb some kick return duties.
That didn’t have to be the plan for September, but Johnson seems far enough behind the curve right now that being a regular part of the offense by mid-season feels like a long shot.
With a run game that currently ranks 30th in the NFL in rushing at 62.5 yards per game, that should be a much bigger talking point than whatever slap on the wrist Tomlin decides to give to Johnson for his mishap.
Listen: Joe Rutter and Tim Benz discuss Mike Tomlin’s weekly press conference
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
