Just ahead of the precarious NFL roster cutdown deadline on August 30, a former Hawkeye star made an interesting move up north.
Kaleb Johnson was a highly touted running back after his junior season with the Hawkeyes when he tallied 1,537 rushing yards and a program-record 21 rushing touchdowns. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who love drafting Hawkeyes, selected KJ with the No. 88 overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but to say his time in Pittsburgh didn't go as planned would be an understatement. After only one season with the Steelers, Johnson is on the move to a perennial NFC North contender.
The Green Bay Packers made a move for Johnson before roster cutdowns
Johnson made an immediate impact for the Hawkeyes, and after taking the reins as the starting running back during the 2024-2025 season, he was the only offense the Hawkeyes had. He has a rare combination of power and speed, and with quarterback inconsistencies, the offense heavily relied on KJ. It wasn't a fluke that he was drafted as high as he was, but the Steelers never gave him a chance to succeed.
After drafting Johnson, the organization signed free-agent running back Rico Dowdle, and Johnson ended up buried on the depth chart. The organization further complicated his spot by drafting talented Navy running back Eli Heidenreich. With Heidenreich playing well in the summer, the writing was on the wall for Johnson, who found a better situation at a new destination.
Trade: The Steelers are trading running back Kaleb Johnson to the Packers.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 30, 2026
The Green Bay Packers traded for Johnson hours before the 53-man roster cutdown deadline, giving him the fresh start that he desperately needed. Johnson appeared in 10 games for the Steelers during his brief tenure in Pittsburgh, tallying 69 rushing yards on 28 carries (2.8-yard average) and zero touchdowns. That is not the Kaleb Johnson we all know, and it was better for both parties to move him to Green Bay for a fresh start. Green Bay is in some trouble of their own after starting running back Josh Jacobs was placed on the Commissioner's Exempt list following an August 30 arrest.
The Packers were in desperate need of a running back with the Jacobs news coming down on Sunday afternoon, and with Pittsburgh confident in Heidenreich as the third running back, Johnson became expendable. The depth behind Jacobs consisted of oft-injured MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks, and Johnson has a solid chance to receive more carries and an expanded opportunity this season. After head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down in January and the organization hired Mike McCarthy, there were high hopes that Johnson would be out of the doghouse and would make a bigger impact this season.
It never really panned out that way for Johnson, who stayed buried on the depth chart and saw the writing on the wall when Heidenreich was drafted. He wasn't given a full opportunity to showcase what he could do, and with Jacobs out for an undetermined amount of time after his arrest, the Packers might have just made an amazing trade to snag Johnson from the Steelers.
After recently joining the Packers organization, Johnson has just a few weeks to prepare for the season opener against NFC Division rival Minnesota on the road in Minneapolis on September 13. Johnson will no doubt get a chance to thrive while Jacobs is sidelined, and he fell into a great opportunity that he didn't have with the Steelers. If the trade never occurred, there is a good chance the Steelers would have either waived him, or put him firmly on the bench, not something that generally happens with third-round picks. With the NFL regular season just around the corner, Johnson has a golden opportunity to show everyone what he is capable of, and why he was so dynamic with the Hawkeyes.
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