As he readies for his rookie campaign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, former Iowa football running back Kaleb Johnson is wrapping up his first preseason in the Steel City.
“He’s anxious. Everyone wants to have a breakout performance the first time they take the stage. Everyone has different personalities, and guys can overthink things.
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“I just want to see that progress, and certainly that was a step in the right direction, and that’ll be good for him. It was good to see him get going, and that’s why we left him in there. He’s working through that,” Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said of Johnson after Pittsburgh’s second preseason contest.
Following Johnson’s 24 rushing yards on five carries in the Steelers’ preseason finale against Carolina on Thursday, Johnson’s total preseason stat line rises to 94 rushing yards on 24 carries and 17 receiving yards on three receptions.
The 2025 third-round pick will get his first chance to impress in an NFL regular-season game on Sept. 7 when the Steelers travel to the New York Jets.
Johnson registered 2,779 rushing yards and 30 rushing touchdowns during his three-season Hawkeye career.
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After a good freshman season with the Hawkeyes, Johnson saw his playing time dip as a sophomore, receiving only 117 carries in 2023 compared to 151 in 2022. He entered his junior season with a lot to prove, especially after a suspension kept him out of the first half of the season opener. What happened next was magical.
Johnson exploded in 2024, rushing for 1,537 yards and a school-record 21 touchdowns while averaging 6.4 yards per carry on 240 carries.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson closes first preseason with Steelers