The Pittsburgh Steelers are trading running back Kaleb Johnson to the Green Bay Packers, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Johnson was drafted by Pittsburgh in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he played in 10 games. In a crowded backfield consisting of Jaylen Warren and Kenny Gainwell, he tallied only 28 carries for 69 yards.
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While Gainwell left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, Pittsburgh replaced him with Rico Dowdle. He reunites with new head coach Mike McCarthy, with whom he spent five years with the Dallas Cowboys from 2020 through 2024.
Johnson felt like the odd man out, and Green Bay took the chance to add to its running back room.
Packers starting running back Josh Jacobs is still awaiting discipline from the NFL for off-the-field incidents this offseason.
Johnson is a young player whom the Packers can develop and who can also be someone the team turns to if Jacobs is handed a lengthy suspension to begin the season.
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With every team done with preseason games, the focus is now on trimming their 90-player preseason rosters down to a 53-man roster by 6 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Rather than cutting Johnson, Pittsburgh traded him to Green Bay, likely for some draft capital, though the return has not yet been reported.
In a corresponding move, the Packers waived RB Pierre Strong Jr., per NFL analyst Jordan Schultz.
Along with Jacobs, Green Bay’s running back room will consist of some combination of Johnson, MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks, Damien Martinez, and Jaden Nixon, depending on what other roster cuts the team has on Sunday.
For Pittsburgh, it appears that Warren and Dowdle will lead the backfield. After them, the Steelers will have Travis Horner, Lew Nichols, and Eli Heidenreich.
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