"Not Good News": Steelers' Once-Promising Playmaker Is In A Lot Of Trouble

The Pittsburgh Steelers found a true diamond in the rough back in 2025 free agency. Kenneth Gainwell was signed to a one-year deal and made the absolute most of it. Not only did he get voted as the team's Most Valuable Player, but he got paid after the fact, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers agreeing to fork up a nice chunk of change for the ball carrier. General Manager Omar Khan did not waste too much time finding his replacement, as Rico Dowdle is destined for the Steel City. This will form a nice one-two punch between him and starter Jaylen Warren.

With Dowdle being a stout runner who has had very good back-to-back seasons, it's also very possible that there is a relatively true 50-50 split when it comes to carries and snaps played. One relatively small issue with this surrounds the development of 2025 rookie Kaleb Johnson. The Steelers' former third-round selection didn't see much action during his first professional season and, moving forward, it will be difficult to form a three-headed monster.

Ray Fittipaldo covers the organization for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and joined The Fan Morning Show on Wednesday to discuss all of the moves that Khan and co. have made so far since the legal tampering period began. Unfortunately, he painted a very gloomy picture for Johnson, who will be negatively affected by the decision to pursue and agree to terms with Dowdle.

"Yeah, I mean not good news for Kaleb Johnson," Fittipaldo stated. "I mean, unless there's an injury, I don't see how he's going to get on the field. Now, they've been really good with keeping their running backs healthy. Like, kind of an outlier that Najee Harris was as, you know, as healthy as he was, and Jaylen Warren's been really solid in that department as well. So, maybe that changes and maybe Kaleb Johnson gets his foot, you know, in the door that way."

What makes things even harder for Johnson is the fact that there is a new coaching staff in town. While Khan took part in drafting Johnson, Head Coach Mike McCarthy is going to run the offense in the Steel City. If he didn't really like Johnson's game when the running back was coming out of college, there is reason to believe that he will simply work in on special teams, barring an injury to Dowdle or Warren.

The Steelers continued the trend of liking durable ball carriers. Dowdle participated in 33 regular season contests throughout the 2024 and 2025 campaigns. This led to 1,000 yards on the ground in both years. For Johnson, he has yet to truly prove himself at the professional level, and McCarthy may simply have no plans to use him unless absolutely necessary. NFL organizations need three running backs on the depth chart, but Johnson is expected to be at the very bottom of that list.

It sure does negatively affect Khan's reputation when it comes to the draft. He has had some really good selections dating back to 2023; however, the running back position was a necessity in 2025. The team was confident that it found a solid backup — and potentially starter — when it drafted Johnson, but Gainwell's emergence pretty much shut down any chances of the rookie flashing positive signs. Now, Dowdle's arrival will make things even more difficult for Johnson.

Steelers Committed To Having Dynamic Duo After Successful 2025 Season

Pittsburgh learned back in 2025 that possessing a one-two punch at running back is critical for the offense's success. While the unit was relatively inconsistent, it wasn't because of Warren and Gainwell's effectiveness or lack thereof. McCarthy seems to want to piggy-back off of that approach; hence, the signing of Dowdle. Unfortunately, unless something unforeseen happens, Johnson will be expected to watch from the sidelines as he tries to earn the trust of the new coaching staff.

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