Kaleb Johnson

Career StatsF

Year	Team	GP	Yards	TD	YPC
Career		10	69	—	2.5
2025		10	69	0	2.5

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Kaleb Johnson's Contract Value Index lands at D, putting the deal in a defined slice of comparable signings. At $1.6M AAV on a rookie scale contract, Johnson's compensation is essentially irrelevant to the Steelers' salary structure—the real issue is that his on-field production and organizational confidence have cratered in lockstep. His 2025 season totals of nine receiving yards across ten games offer virtually no statistical foundation to argue the team's skepticism is unwarranted, and the repeated public reframing by head coach Mike McCarthy—invoking "clean slate" language and open-door gestures rather than organically celebrating Johnson's contributions—signals underlying doubts about his role in Pittsburgh's backfield plans. The franchise is clearly evaluating alternatives: recent roster moves suggest the Steelers are treating the position as fluid, and Johnson's standing has devolved from prospect with upside to depth contingency fighting for relevance. With four years remaining on his rookie deal, the financial drag is minimal, but the organizational narrative is unmistakable—Johnson enters the 2026 regular season as a player whose future depends entirely on proving himself in limited opportunities, not as a foundational piece the team is committed to developing. Until that changes with tangible on-field production before the September 10 kickoff, the CVI grade reflects both his historically underwhelming start and the Steelers' evident lack of confidence in his trajectory.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the D band — a quick read on where Kaleb's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Kaleb Johnson produces at a tier that grades an F performance mark for Pittsburgh Steelers. The 22-year-old rookie-scale back is squarely in the replacement-level category among NFL running backs, operating as a depth piece whose 2025 season — nine receiving yards across ten games — offers minimal evidence of immediate NFL productivity at any level. His sole statistical strength from his rookie campaign is simply the fact that he appeared in games at all, though limited snap allocation made even that appearance largely academic. The core weakness is unambiguous: Johnson generated almost no meaningful production in a year when the organization needed to evaluate his foundational capabilities, and the absence of rushing attempts, consistent target share, or red-zone opportunity makes it difficult to extract any silver lining from his rookie film. The preseason context sharpens the stakes considerably. Head coach Mike McCarthy's repeated public affirmations of belief — invoking language like "clean slate" and "open door" — signal not organic confidence but organizational damage control, a pattern that typically precedes either a breakthrough or a roster move. With the regular season now 91 days away and recent Steelers transaction activity focused elsewhere (signings at safety, linebacker, and defensive line depth), Johnson sits in genuine limbo: he's competing for relevance on a depth chart the organization appears to have constructed without him as a necessary piece, and at $1.6M, the team faces zero financial friction in pivoting if his August production doesn't force a reckoning. Until he translates opportunity into measurable on-field production, the F grade and the precarious roster positioning will remain aligned.

How Kaleb Compares at the Position

Kaleb Johnson ranks 165th of 175 graded running backs by performance. That slots Kaleb between Dylan Sampson (D-) just ahead and Rasheen Ali (F) just behind.

Current Sentiment

Kaleb Johnson heads into 2026 carrying one of the more precarious reputations of any young player on Pittsburgh's roster, with public sentiment firmly in D territory and little on the horizon to suggest that perception is about to shift. The driving force behind that narrative is a pattern that speaks louder than any endorsement: head coach Mike McCarthy has repeatedly had to go on record affirming belief in Johnson — invoking language like "clean slate" and "open door" — and when a coaching staff is publicly managing a 22-year-old's confidence rather than organically hyping his contributions, the subtext is obvious. That sentiment aligns cleanly with a D performance grade, and Johnson's 2025 season — nine receiving yards across ten games — offers almost no statistical foothold to argue the skepticism is misplaced. The situation is further complicated by the front office's recent roster activity: Pittsburgh signed RB Travis Homer in March, and with McCarthy openly expressing enthusiasm for the Warren/Dowdle tandem, Johnson reads less like a developmental priority and more like a depth filler whose roster spot is genuinely in question. At $1.6M on a rookie scale contract, the Steelers face zero financial friction in moving on if a more compelling option emerges between now and the September 10 regular season opener. The bottom line is blunt — Johnson is a player fighting for relevance on a depth chart that the organization appears to have mentally constructed without him as a necessary piece, and until that changes with actual on-field production, the narrative is not going to rehabilitate itself.