Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, former Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson was a prospect that a good portion of the Minnesota Vikings fanbase was hoping their favorite team would select during the annual event.
Well, Johnson didn't end up with the Vikings last year, and instead he was selected in the third round by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In his rookie season with the Steelers, the former Iowa running back made very little impact, as he only rushed for a total of 69 yards on 28 attempts in 10 appearances. But it was Johnson's first year, and many figured he'd just make improvements in the offseason and get better opportunities with Pittsburgh in 2026.
Instead, his time with the Steelers could be coming to an end sooner rather than later if what 93.7 The Fan's Andrew Filliponi shared on his X account on Thursday has any truth to it.
"Oh boy: Kaleb Johnson is in jeopardy of being cut. He doesn’t contribute to any Steelers special teams. And there isn’t a fit for him on the roster. Per great @937thefan Steelers insider Jeff Hathhorn."
Minnesota Vikings should be keeping an eye on what the Pittsburgh Steelers do with RB Kaleb Johnson
It's possible that Johnson could become available this summer, but there are also some conflicting reports about how he's performed during Pittsburgh's training camp so far this year.
A few days ago, SteelersNow.com's Alan Saunders listed the young running back as one of the winners from the Steelers' first week of camp and shared that Johnson has "taken nearly every RB3 rep, and also has earned a special teams role on punt coverage, making what looked like a shaky spot on the 53-man roster much more secure."
So, whether he's cut or placed on the trade block by Pittsburgh in the near future remains to be seen, but it's still a situation that the Vikings should be keeping an eye on.
For 2026, Minnesota is pretty set at running back with Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason leading the depth chart. But both Jones and Mason are set to become free agents in 2027, and the only running back on the Vikings' current roster who is under contract with the team past this upcoming season is rookie Demond Claiborne.
Despite the 2026 campaign only a few weeks from starting, Minnesota's front office should already be thinking about what they're going to do about the team's running back situation in 2027.
Claiming Johnson if he gets waived this summer or sending a late-round draft pick to acquire him from the Steelers is something the Vikings should definitely consider.
Kaleb Johnson has plenty of talent to succeed in the NFL
Even though things don't appear to be going great for Johnson since joining Pittsburgh, he should still get a shot with another team in the NFL if the Steelers actually do end up moving on from him in the near future.
Not even two years ago, in the 2024 college football season, Johnson rushed for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns in addition to catching 22 passes for 188 yards and another two scores in 12 games with Iowa.
It's not like he put those numbers up against easy competition either. Iowa is part of the Big Ten, a conference that just had the second-most players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft among all Power 5 conferences in college football.
So, if new Minnesota general manager Nolan Teasley is looking throughout the league for any players on the roster bubble who could help the Vikings in the future, Johnson should be on that list.
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