The Pittsburgh Steelers may be ready to move on from running back Kaleb Johnson, and the signs are becoming harder to ignore. Johnson, a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, played just 5 snaps in Thursday night’s preseason opener. That alone raised eyebrows. What happened next should raise alarms.

When Sunday’s full-pads practice rolled around, 5 other running backs took reps before Johnson. Five. He was the sixth running back up. For a player entering his second year who was supposed to be developing into a contributor, that’s a damning depth chart signal from a coaching staff that has seen enough.

McCarthy’s clean slate hasn’t materialized

When Mike McCarthy took over as head coach, he made it clear that everyone would get a fresh start. He compared the operation to a Catholic institution, joking with reporters at the league meetings that players could say their Hail Marys and earn a clean slate. That message seemed tailor-made for Johnson, who spent his entire rookie season buried after a botched kickoff return ended any chance of meaningful playing time under Mike Tomlin.

The truth is, that clean slate doesn’t appear to be materializing. Johnson has been fully practicing throughout training camp with no apparent injury keeping him off the field. Yet when the real competition started, the Steelers made their feelings known through actions rather than words. He can’t crack the rotation in practice, and he couldn’t earn more than a handful of snaps in the preseason opener.

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A new scheme, the same results

Here’s my main issue with Johnson’s situation. This isn’t just a case of a player failing to connect with one coaching staff. Johnson was in Tomlin’s doghouse last season, and that was understandable given how his rookie year unfolded. But McCarthy brought in a completely new environment, a scheme that should theoretically fit Johnson’s skillset better, and the results are identical.

When a player can’t get on the field under two different coaching staffs with two different systems, the problem stops being about scheme fit or opportunity. It becomes about the player. That’s a tough reality for a guy the Steelers invested a third-round pick in just over a year ago.

What comes next for Johnson?

If Pittsburgh is going to move on from Johnson, the logical first step would be exploring the trade market. The problem is that a running back who couldn’t earn playing time under either Tomlin or McCarthy isn’t exactly a hot commodity. There’s a real chance Johnson gets cut outright by the Steelers without the team recouping any draft capital.

The bottom line is this: the Steelers had high hopes for Johnson when they drafted him, but he’s never shown enough to justify the roster spot. Under Tomlin, he was buried. Under McCarthy, with a scheme that should fit him better, nothing has changed. At some point, the investment stops mattering more than the results — and Pittsburgh may already be at that point.