The Pittsburgh Steelers revamped their backfield this offseason.
They let established RB Najee Harris walk. He's now with the Los Angeles Chargers. They signed veteran backup Kenneth Gainwell from the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. And they drafted promising rusher Kaleb Johnson out of Iowa.
Those two new faces join a running back room that returns the shifty Jaylen Warren.
It's Johnson that has the most intrigue with the regular season opener against the Jets coming on Sunday.
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Johnson and Warren's battle is the kind that has major fantasy football implications, and it could also help determine the present and future success of the Steelers.
ESPN's Matt Bowen provided a new breakdown of Johnson's chances of success in some analysis over the weekend:
"At 6-foot-1 and 224 pounds with straight-line acceleration and vision, the rookie fits the outside zone scheme in Pittsburgh. He had 21 rushes of 20 or more yards last season at Iowa, the second most in the country behind Ashton Jeanty, and Johnson can post receiving numbers on swings, screens and unders. He will share the backfield with Jaylen Warren, but earning the early-down volume can push him into the flex ranks."
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Johnson brings much of the same size and strength that Pittsburgh embraced in its running game for four years with Harris.
Warren is talented, and he has many fans who want to see him get an even more full workload in 2025. But the Steelers clearly believe he's better as one piece of the puzzle and not the whole puzzle.
That leaves Johnson to do much of the work, and he appears capable. No one is positive that the offense will be a success with Aaron Rodgers at the helm, but Johnson can certainly do his part to help the Steelers have a strong season.
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