Steelers Now
UNITY TWP., Pa. — Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back Kaleb Johnson had a subpar NFL debut in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He rushed for just 20 yards on eight carries (2.5 yards per carry), reeled in one catch for six yards and dropped another in the 31-25 win.
“There’s a lot of things that I can work on,” Johnson said. “I just wanted to get my feet wet and get a feel of the game. Everything’s faster. Just going out there and playing faster. Before the first game comes up, I’ll be all ready to go.”
Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said Johnson is the type of player who can be too hard on himself sometimes.
“Kaleb’s a great guy, and that’s why it’s important for those young guys to get out there. You don’t want that to be week one. I don’t care who you are, whether it’s nerves or excitement,” Smith said on Monday. “It was a big week for him and for all those rookies. We’ll put them to work on Thursday with Tampa, and another preseason game on Saturday night.”
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is also not worried about Johnson’s quiet performance on Saturday night.
“For me and him, specifically, I’m talking a lot about not evaluating the performance while you’re living it. We play on Saturday, then we evaluate on Sunday and Monday. So, it was a good conversation,” Tomlin said. “He’s a conscientious young man. He wants to be great. He’s working his tail off, and I’d imagine he’s going to be one of those ones that takes a significant step between game one and game two.”
Johnson is confident he’ll soon make the plays he became accustomed to making at Iowa.
“I just wanted to get my feet wet and get a feel of the game. Everything’s faster,” Johnson said after the game. “Before the first game comes up, I’ll be all ready to go.”
Johnson is a bigger back, standing at 6-foot-1, 224 pounds, but he did put his speed on display last season when he reached 22 miles per hour per GPS measurements on field. That came during a breakout campaign, during which he rushed for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns and reeled in 22 catches for 188 yards and two more scores.
Brendan Howe and Aaron Becker provided reporting for this story.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Mike Tomlin Expects Kaleb Johnson Bounce Back after Quiet NFL Debut: ‘He Wants to Be Great’
