The Iowa offense was carried literally and figuratively by running back Kaleb Johnson last season.
The Hawkeyes were still adjusting to first-year offensive coordinator Tim Lester's system, and could could not keep a health quarterback on the field to run it.
At one point during the 2024-2025 season, Iowa's offense was being run by fifth-string quarterback Jackson Stratton as starters Cade McNamara and Brendan Sullivan, as well as third-string quarterback Marco Lainez, were sidelined with injuries.
Projected fourth-string quarterback James Resar also never saw the field, giving Stratton spot starts while the other trio were sidelined.
Stratton performed admirably, even winning two games for the Hawkeyes, but all he had to do was turn around and hand the ball off to Johnson.
Johnson finished the 2024-2025 season with 1,537 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns (a school record) as he anchored a horrible Iowa offense.
After a productive junior season, Johnson entered the 2025 NFL draft, and the Pittsburgh Steelers selected him with the No. 83 overall pick in the third round.
While the preseason does not mean much, Johnson led the Steelers' backfield and made improvements every game.
After making the roster, everyone thought Johnson would be the thunder to starter Jaylen Warren's lightning, but through three games, that has been far from the case.
Johnson has only received two carries and has been supplanted by veteran Kenneth Gainwell in the Steelers' backfield.
During the Steelers' third regular season game against New England, Johnson did not play at all.
That begs the question: why hasn't Kaleb Johnson gotten a chance to showcase what he can do in the Steelers' backfield?
In his only two carries, he did not look comfortable, and after a costly fumble on a kick return, he was pulled from those duties as well.
It could be a simple case of head coach Mike Tomlin not wanting to rush Johnson out there before he is ready, but why draft him so high to simply not play him?
Tomlin has a no-nonsense style of coaching, and maybe Johnson has not shown what he needs to in practice, but you cannot seriously be suggesting that Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren are workhorse backs with no room for other carries.
At this point, Tomlin and the coaching staff are hurting Johnson's development, as the only way to improve is to get in-game reps.
Tomlin is a Super Bowl-winning coach, but he is not immune to criticism, and he has completely mishandled Kaleb Johnson through the first three games.