The Pittsburgh Steelers have utilized Kenneth Gainwell as their No. 2 running back behind Jaylen Warren all season.
Gainwell has been responsible for spelling Warren and playing on third downs, and he even stepped up big time when Warren missed a game due to injury.
But there is something unusual going on early in the Week 10 game against the Los Angeles Chargers that has limited Gainwell's opportunities.
Let's take a closer look.
Is Kenneth Gainwell playing tonight?
UPDATE: Gainwell has his first touch on the Steelers' fourth drive and it came in the form of a two-yard catch. Even still, Johnson continues to be involved much more than usual.
Yes, Gainwell is active for the Steelers, but he lost at least a few snaps and touches to rookie Kaleb Johnson, who has been more involved early in the Sunday night contest than he has all season.
We did see Gainwell on the field for at least one third down, but it appears the rookie is slowly creeping up on him in the running back pecking order.
That's odd to see, as Johnson has been irrelevant for the entire season. Regardless, it's a good sign that Johnson is making progress in his development, and it's a bad sign for Gainwell's workload moving forward.
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