Grading the signing: Steelers latest running back addition puts pressure on Kaleb Johnson to prove he belongs in Pittsburgh
The Steelers have added their second running back of the offseason, and it could spell trouble for Kaleb Johnson.
If you flashback to around this time last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers were preparing for the NFL Draft with a clear need at the running back position. They had just let Najee Harris walk in free agency, and even in their wildest dreams, they couldn’t anticipate that Kenny Gainwell would become the team MVP in 2025.
So come April, they used their second pick in the draft and their third rounder to select Kaleb Johnson. He started on a bad foot in camp, was slow to find it in the preseason, and then struggled to make anything out of his rookie campaign. So not only did the Steelers add Rico Dowdle for insurance, but they just added another player who will put pressure on Johnson to perform.
Steelers are signing running back Travis Homer
A former sixth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Homer started his career with the Seattle Seahawks before joining the Chicago Bears in 2023. The 27-year-old, from West Palm Beach, Florida, is a University of Miami Alum and has started two career games in the NFL.
This addition is a direct replacement for safety Miles Killebrew. If that sounds weird, it’s because Homer does his best work as a special teamer. So how does that affect Johnson? Simple, the Steelers now have four backs who we can assume will be a part of the 53-man roster after August.
However, we know Dowdle and Jaylen Warren will be active every game, and we know that Homer is likely to be the team’s new special teams ace. That would mean that the Steelers would have four active running backs on gamedays if they keep Johnson.
That’s not totally out of the realm of possibilities, but if there are three backs with clearly defined roles, feeding a fourth back won’t be easy on a week-in, week-out basis.
Final grade: A
Forget the fact that the Steelers now have their potential special teams captain via Homer. What this signing will do is light a fire under Johnson. He knows that year one wasn’t what anyone envisioned. Omar Khan flat out called his rookie season a disappointment at the NFL Combine.
He knows that with two backs added in just a matter of weeks and new staff with no prior attachment to him, that the ball is in his court and he needs to produce if he wants to stick around in Pittsburgh.
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