The Pittsburgh Steelers have been busy over the last 24 hours, and that won’t be slowing down anytime soon. Less than a day after trading former 1st-round pick Broderick Jones to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 3rd- and 6th-round pick (Pittsburgh also kicked in a 4th), another young draft pick is on his way out.

That would be 2025 third-round pick Kaleb Johnson, who heads to the Green Bay Packers after just one full season in Pittsburgh and with two different coaching staffs. The writing was on the wall here as we predicted Johnson to miss the final 53-man roster, but the fact that the Steelers recouped anything is a major win in my book.

Kaleb Johnson desperately needed a fresh start

I can’t think of one player on the Steelers roster who needed a fresh start more than Kaleb Johnson. It honestly felt like he was doomed from the start in Pittsburgh. He came into a scheme under Arthur Smith that, while it prioritized zone running (Johnson’s strength at Iowa), didn’t have the players up front to create the alleys he needs. There are two types of backs in the NFL. Those who need a runway, and those who can create something out of nothing.

Johnson falls firmly in the former category. He doesn’t have the lower-body twitch to win in tight quarters. He’s smoother than he is fast or explosive. But he’s a big back who, when he sees a hole, can glide and get upfield. Getting behind a line that creates more vertical displacement is what he needs. That and a new start in Green Bay could work wonders for him.

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A crowded RB room didn’t help his chances

It would have been one thing if the Steelers’ only RB addition this offseason was Rico Dowdle. Everyone expects him and Jaylen Warren to receive the lion’s share of the touches. Where things became problematic for Johnson is the depth additions. The signing of Travis Homer and the drafting of Eli Heidenreich made an already tough rotation even harder to crack.

Then came training camp and the preseason, where things really got tough. Johnson was finishing games with just five touches and taking the last set of reps in running back drills. It felt almost like the Steelers were trying to keep him healthy for a trade, which they just pulled off.

Final Grade: A

Update: The Steelers are reportedly receiving a 2028 6th-round pick in return for Johnson, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal.

I know we await the draft compensation, but I’m a big “get something for nothing guy.” That’s what the Steelers just received. I don’t care if it’s a 6th-round pick in the 2028 NFL Draft; getting something back for a player who was always going to be released is a win in my book.

Now, that doesn’t absolve the Steelers of the misses on guys like Jones and Johnson, but they were sunk costs at this point, and the Steelers moved on and at least got something in return.