Steelers' Mason Rudolph Was Very Direct On The Growth Of 1 Particular Rookie

The Pittsburgh Steelers are paying attention to the growth of their young players during the 2025 preseason, even though they lost at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the only home contest of this slate of games. The offense overall looked very rough, as all three quarterbacks that played in this game threw an interception, even if the one from Skylar Thompson was not his fault. Even in a supposed bad game like this one, there are still plenty of positives to take away. 

During his post-game press conference, quarterback Mason Rudolph was asked about out one of his weapons, Kaleb Johnson, and he explained the difference in the rookie between Weeks 1 and 2 of the preseason.

"You saw some streaks, some flashes last week," Rudolph said. "Probably a lot of nerves in anyone's first game, but he ran it well tonight, as well as 3-5, my man, Lew [Nichols] did a great job toting the rock, so great to see that from both of them."

Johnson seemed to get off to a slow start, but he eventually racked up chunk play after chunk play. He finished the night with 11 carries for 50 yards, with his longest being a 14-yard run. If he keeps it up, he can eventually take the primary backup job spot away from Kenneth Gainwell, but that's something that is expected to happen anyway. Johnson has some time to earn that spot before Week 1 of the regular season kicks off. 

Johnson had a very rough preseason debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He ran the ball eight times for just 20 yards, with his longest one being seven yards. The Steelers need him to keep developing like he did between the two preseason games so far, especially with how much Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith likes to run the ball. If not, it might be a long season for Pittsburgh. 

As time goes on and the jitters begin to fade, Johnson should be able to learn more and more. He is also expected to help somewhat in the kickoff return game as well. Preseason Week 2 was his first time returning kicks. He took three kicks back for 81 yards, which is not too great. Eventually, he will develop into a better returner as well. Hopefully, he can get up to 30 yards per return. 

Steelers Are Still Waiting To Use Johnson In Certain Situation

The Steelers have not been impressed with Johnson's ability to pass block as of late. If he doesn't figure that out quickly, he will not have as many snaps as he would like, and he could even stay down in the depth chart as the third running back. He did have a reception in the game against Tampa Bay, but the team will likely be more interested if he can develop as a protector for that part of the offense. 

Obviously, there is a lot for any typical third-round player to learn in his rookie season. Johnson has not exactly been the fastest learner as of late, but playing in these preseason games seems to be beneficial to his development. Hopefully, in Week 3 of the preseason, he will have pass protection down, and will be trusted to help keep new quarterback Aaron Rodgers upright throughout the season. 

Rudolph did also shout out Lew Nichols, who has had a great camp and preseason ever since he was signed as a late addition to training camp. He had a big 37-yard run on his first touch of the game against the Buccaneers, as he competes for a spot on the practice squad at least, with an outside chance of being a fourth running back on the 53-man roster. At very least, he has seemed to earn a spot on the team for the whole season, even if it's not on the active roster.

What do you think about Rudolph praising Johnson for getting over the rookie jitters? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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