Steelers' Kaleb Johnson Gets Bad News From Ben Roethlisberger After Critical Week 2 Mistake

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted running back Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. It was widely believed that he would be the future of the organization's backfield due to Jaylen Warren's then-expiring contract, but the franchise inked the former undrafted free agent to an extension prior to the season beginning. The rookie had an all-time blunder in Week 2 when he failed to recover a kickoff after it got past him in a contest against the Seattle Seahawks. The error led to the visiting team going up by 10 points, and it completely changed the dynamic of the matchup.

In addition to Johnson not getting many offensive snaps through the first two weeks of his career, he also proved that he is not fully aware of the rules as an individual returning kicks. The offensive game-plan has featured Kenneth Gainwell much more than the rookie, so it's fair to assume that Johnson's terrible mistake against the Seahawks will affect his ability to see action, even when it comes to performing on special teams.

There are some that may believe that Johnson deserves to learn a significant lesson after costing the Steelers a legitimate chance at responding after a Seattle score in Week 2. Someone who knows a ton about playing under Head Coach Mike Tomlin is Ben Roethlisberger. On the most recent episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, the retired quarterback blatantly said that Johnson may be warming the bench for some time.

"After [Week 1], not getting much action, and [Week 2], that [kickoff return mistake] happening, unless injuries or something happen, we may not see him again the rest of the year," Roethlisberger said. "There's a chance; I don't want to call it a doghouse, but it's tough. It's a tough place, tough situation."

This would be a serious statement by Tomlin, and it's not necessarily out of the question. Johnson will remain on the 53-main roster, but it shouldn't come as a surprise to fans if the ball-carrier is watching games from the sidelines as opposed to participating on the field itself. Lessons need to be learned, and there is no rush to get Johnson action with Warren and Gainwell in the mix offensively.

The play from Johnson was more than just a simple mistake. It came in a crucial moment and disallowed the Steelers from taking the lead at a very important point in the contest.

It may seem a bit drastic to remove Johnson from the team's plans for the rest of the 2025 campaign, but the rookie will certainly feel some sort of punishment from the coaching staff. Roethlisberger was in Tomlin's locker room for almost his entire career, so he would be an individual that could correctly guess what the next few weeks, or months, could look like for the running back. 

Johnson was originally looked at as a player who could make an immediate impact for the Steelers, but he could suddenly find himself watching from afar because of a major gaffe early on in his first professional campaign.

Steelers Aren't Rushing Johnson After Warren's Extension

It was once seemed like an afterthought when it came to Warren receiving a new deal with Pittsburgh. Since that happened and the running back has proven he can handle the workload, Johnson may not see as many opportunities as originally expected. Roethlisberger may be taking it a bit far to assume that the rookie won't play much for the rest of the 2025 season, but Johnson certainly lost a bunch of stock in the locker room.

Do you think the Steelers are planning on seriously punishing Johnson? Let us know in the comments below!

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