Ramon Chinyoung Sr. Highlights One Area a Second-Year Steelers RB is Taking to Another Level
After a tough rookie season, 2025 third-round draft pick running back Kaleb Johnson is getting somewhat of a fresh start under new head coach Mike McCarthy and his coaching staff. An error by the 22-year-old on a kickoff return gave the Seattle Seahawks an easy touchdown against the Steelers in Week Two last season. The Seahawks defeated the Steelers 31-17. In 2025, the former Iowa running back also saw limited playing time behind Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. Johnson had only 69 rushing yards on 28 attempts.
Johnson has been giving a strong performance at the Steelers’ Organized Team Activities this year. On Wednesday, new running backs coach Ramon Chinyoung Sr. highlighted one area where the 22-year-old is impressive in 2026. He said, “With Kaleb, the number one thing is just his professionalism. He’s taking that to another level.” Chinyoung explained, “He’s been doing a great job from his body of work showing up every day, doing the little things, studying, building a relationship with the guys in the room, leaning on guys like Rico and Jaylen and just making himself as accessible as he possibly can, so that he can continue to grow.”
Chinyoung isn’t the only person to take notice of Johnson’s improvement in 2026. On the May 22nd episode of The Steel City Insider podcast, Jim Wexell discussed the 22-year-old’s performance at OTAs. “Kaleb Johnson gets first-team reps, and he looks like he’s all business. He looks like a guy that wants to make amends,” said Wexell. “As a rookie, he couldn’t pick up blitzes, and his pass-catching looks a lot better this year, let me tell you that. Now, what does he know about picking up blitzes now? Probably has been working on it. He’s probably been working on his faults. There’s a guy who’s totally determined, would not surprise me if he shines in preseason.”
Gainwell signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March of this year. Johnson is behind Warren and the new Steelers running back Rico Dowdle this season. According to BVM Sports, “The new coaching staff has a better track record for developing running backs than the previous one.” Soaking up as much knowledge as he can and having patience will be advantageous to the former Hawkeye. The 2026 season will give the 22-year-old an opportunity to prove his worth in his second year as a Steeler.
