The Pittsburgh Steelers are inching closer to the start of 2026 training camp as they near the first year of new head coach Mike McCarthy in the Steel City. The team will start to round out as far as the roster is concerned in a couple of months and there are many spots up for grabs, especially with the offseason additions the organization brought in. These are unique times, as Pittsburgh does not frequently have new head coaches, as the position brings great job stability. Now, McCarthy and his staff will get some of their final looks at players before the season begins.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy coaches up his team during voluntary veteran minicamp in 2026.
One position that is providing some intrigue this offseason is running back. The team lost its MVP in running back Kenneth Gainwell via free agency, but replaced him with back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher Rico Dowdle, who will form quite the duo with Jaylen Warren. However, many questions loom ahead of the season about the future of Kaleb Johnson.
Former Black and Gold legendary running back Jerome Bettis sat down with Pro Football Network for a recent interview and delivered some strong advice for Johnson. He is entering his second NFL season, but there are many questions about his game. This comes mostly due to a critical special teams miscue in 2025 in a game that led to a Seattle Seahawks touchdown on the play.
“I would just tell ’em to stay committed to the process," Bettis said. "Keep grinding, keep working your butt off, and don’t worry about the lack of playing time. If that’s the case, a lot of guys, they get down and then they get in their own heads about not playing. Don’t worry about it. It’s a reason why you’re there: because you’re talented. So understand that, remember that, and then go out there and put your best foot forward and just work your butt off.”
Given the crucial error Johnson made, Bettis' words should resonate with the second-year player very well. While he was aware of just how crucial the misfielded football that led directly to a Seattle touchdown was, he has to put it behind him. Allowing that moment to consume him can only have adverse effects on his future with the organization and even in the NFL.
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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson (20) trains and runs with the football at Saint Vincent College during the 2025 Steelers training camp on Thursday, July 31, 2025 in Latrobe, PA.
Steelers Have A Chance To Have A Deep Running Back Room In 2026
While Dowdle and Warren will get the majority of the workload in the backfield, Johnson can add one of the most important things a team can have during a grueling NFL season. Depth is something that no team can have enough of during the grueling 17 game schedule. This is no different for the Steelers, as injuries can pop up at any point in the season.
Johnson has a great chance to not only not let his blunder define him, but overcome it and turn things around in his brief NFL career. Should anything happen to Warren or Dowdle, that would pave the way for him to really impress this new staff and turn over a new leaf with them to fully put last year in the rearview mirror. In his final college season at the University of Iowa, he put up 1,537 and 21 touchdowns, which also provided 6.4 yards per attempt for the Hawkeyes.
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Steelers' Kaleb Johnson before game against the Bengals in the 2025 NFL regular season
The talent is definitely in there for the second-year running back, especially given his strong 2024 campaign. He can provide excellent depth at the position for Pittsburgh and may even be able to establish himself as a solid backup option in the Black and Gold at the very least. If he should take advice from anyone, it would be greatly beneficial for him to hear what Bettis said and let that sink in so he can move past the 2025 mistake that may have prevented him from some playing time.
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