Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed during his Tuesday press conference that rookie running back Kaleb Johnson will not be the team’s kickoff returner in the short term, but said he is open to him earning back that role in the future.
It wasn’t the sole reason for Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks, but Johnson’s crucial mishap on a kickoff return in the fourth quarter was a game-altering play.
The kickoff landed at the 10-yard line and roll into the end zone. Rather than retreat to down it for a touchback, Johnson headed toward his sideline, appearing to believe he wasn’t required to retrieve it.
The Seahawks’ George Holani pounced on the ball for a touchdown that gave the visitors a 10-point edge with 12:46 to go.
“Probably not in the short term, I’m certainly going to give him an opportunity to work back from that error,” Tomlin said when asked if he’ll keep Johnson on kickoff returns. “I believe in his talent. He’s a sharp young man. He’s a hard worker. So you leave the light on for him and give him an opportunity to move on from it, but he has to do that. He has to display that with his daily work and he’s got to earn himself back in a position to be a participant. We’ll see were the roads lead us. I’m open to it certainly.”
Tomlin expects Johnson to learn and move on from the mistake.
“You got to man up. You got to acknowledge your short comings and then you got to work to move beyond it, and it’s my job as a leader to provide that opportunity,” Tomlin said.
“He hadn’t had an opportunity to physically respond. Forget what you say, it’s about how you move forward in terms of you work and the level of detail and the consistency of it. We’ll certainly be watching that closely as we push into this week.”
Kenneth Gainwell is an option to replace Johnson on kickoff returns, but it’s still a fluid situation.
“I haven’t even begin to address it yet,” Tomlin said.
Tomlin is not concerned about Johnson losing his confidence with the benching on kickoff returns.
“I don’t think you get to the National Football League without having faced some adversity as a player and responding appropriately,” Tomlin said. “He’s a young guy, so I’ll certainly watch him closely, but I expect him to rebound and roll his sleeves up and go to work and wait for his next opportunity.”
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Bench Rookie after Game-Changing Gaffe
