Steelers' Mike Tomlin Delivers Stern Warning Towards Rookie Trying To See More Of The Field

The Pittsburgh Steelers had their fan base very excited about the 2025 draft class during the spring and into the summer, but a lot of those players selected in April have not made much of an impact just yet. Derrick Harmon, Yahya Black, and Jack Sawyer have been the biggest contributors from the draft class, which was sort of expected as those three had the easiest paths to playing time. One player that has been a bit of a disappointment has been third-round pick Kaleb Johnson. He has barely seen the field on offense, and his special teams gaffe back in Week 2 put him in a tough spot.

It was clear throughout training camp and the preseason that Johnson would be behind both Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell in the backfield, at least to begin the 2025 season. Fans probably thought they would get a heavy dose of the rookie at some point, but his mistake against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2 essentially lost the game for Pittsburgh and put him in a bad spot with the coaching staff. 

Head Coach Mike Tomlin was asked about Johnson during his press conference on Tuesday.

"I think that he's going to continue to get better with opportunity," Tomlin said. "He doesn't have control over when those opportunities occur, and so when he gets them, he better make the best of them. I love the way that he's working during the course of the work week, from a practice perspective, and so as I mentioned we got 13 straight games ahead of us."

Tomlin was able to praise the work that Johnson has been putting in throughout the course of the week, but he also wants to see the running back make the most out of his opportunities during games. Johnson started to do that in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings as his offensive workload was increased due to Warren being a late scratch. The rookie carried the ball six times for 22 yards in the win.

Tomlin noted Pittsburgh having the earliest bye week possible, which means the team will now be forced to play 13 straight games, including two games in five days over the next two weeks. This could mean a larger role for Johnson moving forward, even with Warren returning to full health. 

Tomlin spoke about Johnson some more, mainly his development and what he wants to see from the back.

"I'm sure he's going to get more opportunities to let his talents show," Tomlin said. "More importantly to develop talent and experience. I mean he's a third-year junior. I don't view that as a negative, I love to be a part of people's growth and development. But at the same time, I don't get amnesia. I don't like that in the spring and then hate it in the fall. As a leader man, I embrace the 'get better' component of his profile. Sometimes, that's going to require work. It's not always going to be pleasant moments, but that's what they pay me for."

The head coach noted that Johnson left college the earliest an athlete coming into the NFL can, which means he still has a ways to go when it comes to development and experience. The way he spoke about the situation, it sounded as if he knew this was going to be a process, and Johnson wasn't going to be a hit immediately.

Steelers' Kaleb Johnson Could Make Late-Season Impact

Tomlin knew that Johnson was going to be a project going into the 2025 season, which means he could be ready to make an impact later on in the season. This would be big for the Steelers due to the fact that the schedule gets tougher in the second half of the season, and a higher usage rate for Johnson would mean fresher legs all around in the running back room. 

Pittsburgh has struggled to run the football at times, but hopefully that is not the case with Warren, Gainwell, and Johnson later on in the year.

What do you think about Tomlin's comments on Johnson? Let us know in the comments below!

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