Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson might be taking his game in OTAs to another level, but will that improvement help him lock down a roster spot?

That remains to be seen for the second-year running back, who was a third-round pick of the Steelers last year.

His rookie season went pretty poorly, as Johnson had just 78 total yards on 29 touches and committed a costly special-teams gaffe that led to his benching. He has a clean slate now under a new coaching staff, though, which could help him reset.

But right now, the Tribune-Review’s Chris Adamski is questioning his path to a roster spot, while the Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo questions his role moving forward.

During an appearance on 102.5 WDVE earlier in the week, Adamski believes Johnson is behind the 8-ball when it comes to a roster spot.

“I don’t know what the path is even to make the roster,” Adamski said, according to audio via DVE. “I’m sure that’s something you let it play out, and he has the talent, so we’ll see. But right now it, it’s really…there’s not much margin for error for him, let’s put it that way.”

That roster path isn’t clear for Johnson, not after the Steelers signed special-teams ace Travis Homer in free agency and added a versatile offensive weapon in rookie seventh-round pick Eli Heidenreich. Homer is going to handle a heavy workload on special teams, while Heidenreich can wear multiple hats as a runner and receiver, and can return kicks and punts in a pinch, all while handling coverage assignments, too.

Kaleb Johnson can’t do that. He struggled on special teams last season and never looked comfortable as a kick returner. Then, disaster struck in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks. That special teams gaffe led to a touchdown for the Seahawks, and the Steelers benched Johnson. 

That clean slate could help him this season, though, especially with new running backs coach Ramon Chinyoung praising him during OTAs.

For the Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo, who appeared on 93.7 The Fan Friday, he doesn’t see Johnson having a role as a No. 3 running back offensively, but he also doesn’t see the Steelers giving up on the former third-round pick after one year.

“Unless there’s an injury, I don’t think he fits in at all as far as getting consistent touches goes,” Fittipaldo said, according to video via the show on YouTube. “I know there’s been a little bit of buzz about him the last couple of weeks. I think they’re trying to find out about him, what exactly his role is gonna be, but you just don’t see running back committees with three backs, right?”

While Kaleb Johnson might not have much of a role offensively behind the likes of Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle, Fittipaldo just can’t see the Steelers moving on right away, even if Johnson doesn’t offer special teams value.

“No, they would not. When you invest the third round pick, right, in any player, they are not gonna move on from that guy after one year,” Fittipaldo added. “Look at Chase Claypool, all the problems that he had, and they waited two and a half years before they got rid of him. So they’re gonna give these guys every opportunity, every chance to prove their worth on this roster.”

Comparing Johnson to Claypool doesn’t make much sense, considering Claypool had a great rookie season, scoring 11 touchdowns and emerging as an explosive receiver. Johnson didn’t come anywhere close to that type of production. Claypool also didn’t have the team go out and sign two veterans at his position and draft another the following year, either.

So, Kaleb Johnson’s path forward is concerning. But he has a chance to prove himself and earn it. The ball is in his court.