Steelers Fans Get A Great Look At What Went Wrong With Kaleb Johnson After His Trade To The Packers

The Pittsburgh Steelers finalized the 53-man roster for the 2026 season on Sunday, and in order to trim the roster down the front office had to make some difficult decisions. This included waiving some guys and also permanently parting ways with some former highly drafted players. The two players that were dealt were Broderick Jones and Kaleb Johnson, and they were each recent high picks by the organization. Jones was traded up for in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft while Johnson was Pittsburgh's third-round pick in 2025. Jones was dealt to the Dallas Cowboys while Johnson was sent to the Green Bay Packers.

Pittsburgh dealt Johnson to the Packers as Green Bay is currently going through some off-the-field issues at the running back position. There is a chance that Josh Jacobs sees a sizable suspension to begin the 2026 season, and there is even a possibility that his career could be finished after getting into a domestic dispute during the 2026 offseason. Johnson was targeted by Green Bay in the case that either of those possibilities mentioned above became a reality, and the Steelers received a sixth-round pick in the 2028 NFL Draft in the trade.

Fans should be somewhat happy with the deal. Johnson had no future in Pittsburgh, and that became evident throughout training camp and the preseason. Getting a sixth-round pick in return for him should be viewed as a win. Beat writer Ray Fittipaldo was asked about the move in a recent chat for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and he gave some insight to the trade.

"I got the sense the new staff didn't believe he fit into the scheme," Fittipaldo wrote. "They never really gave him a ton of opportunities, and when they did, he didn't take advantage of them. I thought he was OK between the tackles, but he can't get to the edge. That was painfully clear. And he wasn't making that one guy miss."

Scheme fit is always an important thing to pay attention to when a new coaching staff comes into the fold, especially with a new offensive system being put in place. Johnson was drafted by the prior regime which operated with Arthur Smith's offense, and he couldn't even get comfortable in that.

Johnson was put into the dog house of the former coaching staff after his special teams snafu in Week 2, and he never really got into a groove after that. He struggled to earn a helmet later in the year, but many fans were hoping that he would be able to turn into a different player under the new regime. Shortly after training camp began it became clear that was not going to happen, and the coaching staff decided to move forward with Eli Heidenreich as the third running back on the roster going into the regular season.

Steelers' Eli Heidenreich Allowed Pittsburgh To Explore Potential Trades

The Steelers' confidence in Heidenreich allowed the organization to feel comfortable enough to trade Johnson, and Lew Nichols also played an important role in that. He has had two strong preseasons in Pittsburgh, and he earned a spot on the practice squad. If an injury happens in the running back room the franchise is confident enough in Nichols to call him up, and Heidenreich can be a gadget player and fill several different roles on special teams. Playing multiple roles is important, and Johnson could never really figure out how to play just one.

Johnson is probably going to be the third running back in Green Bay behind MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks while everything gets figured out with Jacobs. If he is cleared to return at some point and doesn't get released by the Packers, then there is a chance that Johnson may finish the 2026 season on a different team.

What do you think of these reasons for trading Johnson? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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