The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and despite having Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell in the backfield, Pro Football Focus’ Dalton Wasserman believes there’s a chance Johnson could be Pittsburgh’s Week 1 starter. In an article breaking down rookies’ chances of opening the season as starters, Wasserman put Johnson under the category of “could win a competition.”
Johnson was the only Steelers rookie listed as having a chance to open the year as a starter. It would be a bit of a surprise if Johnson did start to open the season, as Warren has established himself and Mike Tomlin spoke positively about his chances to start in a press conference ahead of the draft.