Arthur Smith Explains Lack Of Touches For Steelers Rookie Running Back

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Johnson was joining a running back room that features Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren, but the rookie has clearly been the third-stringer. The 22-year-old has just 22 carries on the season, and Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith explained the lack of carries for Johnson.

“If we have the ball more,” Smith said on Thursday on Johnson’s work seeing an uptick, via PennLive. “If we have a game we can call 40 runs, you know, that’d be nice. We’d have to get there.”

As Smith notes, with the Steelers being in so many close games, Johnson can’t get the touches that the team would like. But Smith is leaving the door open for Johnson to be more involved in the offense.

Johnson was used on kickoffs, but was removed after he gave the Seattle Seahawks a free touchdown in a Week 2 loss.

Currently, the Steelers’ running game is led by Warren, who has rushed for 536 yards on 123 carries and two touchdowns. Gainwell, meanwhile, has rushed for 244 yards on 61 carries and three touchdowns.

Pittsburgh is set to go on the road to play the Chicago Bears on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The Steelers are 6-4 and remain atop the AFC North.

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