Just weeks after 2024 third-round pick WR Roman Wilson was made a healthy scratch, 2025 third-rounder RB Kaleb Johnson joins him in street clothes for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions.
Johnson is one of Pittsburgh’s inactives and furthers a lost rookie season.
It also means Pittsburgh will have just two running backs active for today’s game in Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell.
Kaleb Johnson’s difficult first season only continues. Despite high hopes of him fitting into OC Arthur Smith’s outside-zone system, Johnson has hardly seen the field all year. He struggled in pass protection and as a receiver in the summer, limiting him in the offense and not gaining the trust of the coaching staff to protect QB Aaron Rodgers.
Seeing scant snaps early in the season, Johnson made a major gaffe on a kickoff in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks. He allowed a kick to bounce past him without trying to recover it, allowing the Seahawks to fall on the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Pittsburgh removed him from the kick-return unit after that game.
Despite that, this is the first time all season Johnson has formally been made inactive. It’s likely partially due to injuries the team has suffered elsewhere and late-season roster shuffling. Dave Bryan suggested DL Logan Lee could’ve gotten the nod as protection against LS Christian Kuntz’s knee injury. Lee is the team’s emergency snapper who filled in during a preseason game this summer.
Why is RB Kaleb Johnson INACTIVE today? Probably because they gave DL Logan Lee the final helmet because he is the emergency backup long snapper behind LS Christian Kuntz (knee). #Steelers #NFL
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) December 21, 2025
The Steelers had to have 7 inactive today because of the two Saturday elevations. They did not elevate OLB/DL DeMarvin Leal, either. Logan Lee is also the emergency long snapper because LS Christian Kuntz is dealing with a knee injury. Kaleb Johnson essentially got squeezed out… https://t.co/vBmYljPudn
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) December 21, 2025
Still, Johnson has hardly been playing and offering almost nothing as the team’s No. 3 running back. Typically, that role at least offers help on special teams, but Johnson no longer factors in there.
For the season, Johnson has just 28 carries for 69 yards and two first downs. He’s logged only 51 offensive snaps and hasn’t posted double-digit reps since Week 6.
