Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Kaleb Johnson‘s NFL transition certainly wasn’t smooth. Throughout a bumpy introduction to the professional level, the then-rookie Pittsburgh Steelers tailback had to remind himself the sky wasn’t falling.
“I just kept telling myself, ‘It happens. Stuff happens like that,'” Johnson said after Tuesday’s mandatory minicamp practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “I make mistakes, people make mistakes, it’s part of life. We’re not all perfect. So I’m just going in there with my chip on my shoulder every day, coming in here early every day, getting my workout in, just working on my routine and being the best I can be.”
The defining moment of Johnson’s initial go-round in black and gold was a kick return error that helped vault the visiting Seattle Seahawks to a victory in Week 2. Johnson was crestfallen afterward — “poor judgment by a young player,” then-head coach Mike Tomlin said — and didn’t even get to take his shoulder pads off in the locker room before reporters engulfed him.
The experience was part of the overacrhing theme of the Iowa product’s year. He carried the ball only 28 times for 69 yards and didn’t punch it in at all.
“Overcoming adversity,” Johnson said of his key takeaway. “All that stuff happened to me early on, and just learning how to overcome it and put all that stuff to the side and just focus on what I gotta do.”
With Mike McCarthy having taken charge for the Steelers, Johnson has repeatedly asked the head coach what he needs to do to get better. Johnson is zeroed in on improving his pass blocking and catching while learning from Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle.
Johnson said coaches have talked to him about working on “kickoff, kickoff return, playing all of that, so I’m just contributing wherever I can, trying to take the field and play the best I can.”
He remains confident that he’ll break out when he gets his opportunity.
“I know when my time comes, I’m gonna shine, for sure,” Johnson said. “I’ve got to a lot to prove, I’ve got a large chip on my shoulder, I’ve got a lot of stuff built up. It’s time to go.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: How a Difficult Rookie Season Helped Shape Steelers RB Kaleb Johnson
