After four years leaning heavily on running back Najee Harris as the true No. 1, bell-cow running back, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in a transition phase at the running back position.<\/p>\n
Harris is off to Los Angeles to play under Jim Harbaugh with the Chargers.<\/a> The Steelers have brought in veteran running back Kenneth Gainwell in free agency and drafted Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson in the third round at No. 83 overall.<\/p>\n Jaylen Warren returns, too, giving the Steelers a familiar face at the position under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. But the Steelers have to replace 299 touches and 569 snaps. Johnson will be key, but the Steelers\u2019 running back room ranks among the league\u2019s worst according to CBS Sports\u2019 RB tiers.<\/p>\n In fact, CBS Sports\u2019 Tyler Sullivan ranks the Steelers third in Tier Six among teams leaning on a Day 2 running back to headline them. CBS Sports also has only seven tiers ranked, so the Steelers are next to last and ranked 28th overall.<\/p>\n Not a great spot to be in, but things could be better once the season hits.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Pittsburgh, the Steelers let Najee Harris leave in free agency and Iowa back Kaleb Johnson\u00a0in the third round to pair with\u00a0Jaylen Warren,\u201d Sullivan writes regarding the Steelers\u2019 running backs room.<\/a> \u201cIn his final collegiate season, Johnson rushed for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns and had drawn pre-draft comparisons to Atlanta\u2019s Tyler Allgeier. If he became a comparable player, that\u2019d be a solid addition to the backfield.<\/p>\n \u201cMeanwhile, in 15 games played last season, Warren finished with 821 scrimmage yards, which was down from his 1,154-yard season in 2023.\u201d<\/p>\n Adding Johnson to the mix was a great addition for the Steelers. They landed the Iowa standout who led the Big Ten in rushing in 2024 in the third round, well below where many projected him to be picked in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Steelers were fortunate to land him and now have a great fit for Smith\u2019s zone scheme offensively, which could lead to a rather productive pairing over the next four years\u2014or more.<\/p>\n Johnson flourished in a zone scheme at Iowa.<\/a> He\u2019s another big, physical running back that fits the mold well. Johnson was outstanding in 2024, rushing for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns on 240 carries. He also caught 22 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns, showing he can do it all.<\/p>\n He turns 22 in August and has only had one year of a heavy workload, coming in 2024, so there is some concern there. However, outside of that, he fits the mold for the Steelers and feels like a perfect fit, which Smith called him following the selection during a session with the media.<\/p>\n