Pittsburgh beat writer Chris Adamski reported that Kaleb Johnson is “not assured” of making the Steelers’ 53-man roster, citing Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle sitting ahead of him on the depth chart and last year’s special teams struggles.
That’s obviously not what dynasty managers wanted to hear.
Johnson was a third-round pick just one year ago, so the investment alone makes this situation worth monitoring instead of reacting emotionally.
The problem is his rookie production didn’t give the Steelers much reason to force him onto the field.
2025 by the numbers
- 10 games
- 28 carries
- 69 rushing yards
- 2.46 yards per carry
- 0 touchdowns
- 2 first downs
- 25.0% rushing success rate
- 64.3% stuffed rate
- Forced just 2 missed tackles
Those aren’t just low-volume numbers—they’re inefficient ones.
One stat that stands out, however, is 75.4% of his rushing yards came after contact. That suggests Johnson wasn’t getting much help before defenders reached him, but he also wasn’t creating enough explosive plays to overcome it. He failed to record a run of 10+ yards all season.
Fantasy takeaway
The market is going to push Johnson’s value down after this report, and that’s understandable.
But I’m also not writing off a 23-year-old Day 2 running back after 28 career carries.
If he survives final cuts, this becomes a camp battle worth watching. If he doesn’t, I’d still expect another team to give a former third-round pick an opportunity.
For now, I’m holding in dynasty if roster space allows, but I’m not buying until we see signs that Pittsburgh—or someone else—still believes in the talent that made him a Day 2 selection.