The Green Bay Packers suddenly have room for a new name in the running back mix, and Kaleb Johnson is the kind of swing that could make this whole situation interesting.
Josh Jacobs being placed on the league’s exempt list forced Green Bay to adjust quickly, and for now the team is leaning on a trio of backs to help keep Matt LaFleur’s offense balanced. Johnson is part of that equation, and he arrives in Green Bay with the label of a former Pittsburgh Steelers bust who still has something to prove.
The Steelers spent a third-round pick on Johnson in the 2025 offseason, but things never really clicked. The Iowa product failed to live up to expectations in his first year, and mistakes on the field helped push Pittsburgh toward moving on. That opened the door for Green Bay to take a shot on him as a clear reclamation project.
There was plenty to like about Johnson before that stumble. He closed out his college career with 1,537 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns, flashing the explosive ability that made Pittsburgh believe it might have found its back of the future. Instead, last season turned into a disappointment, and now the Packers are the team trying to see if there’s still a runner worth unlocking.
MarShawn Lloyd is the obvious starter, while Chris Brooks brings more experience. Even so, Johnson has a real path to early-season carries, and the Packers’ coaching staff may be the right group to rebuild his confidence.
Lloyd’s injury history is a concern, and he also does not have much experience handling the kind of expectations that come with the job. That leaves Johnson with a chance not just to fill a depth role, but to work his way into a larger one if the situation around Jacobs remains uncertain.
At this point, Johnson is a wildcard. Green Bay is hoping he can settle in as a reliable backup, but there is also a route back to starting-level relevance if he can outplay the assumptions attached to him. Either way, the Packers have little to lose by keeping him in the mix.
It is a smart bet on upside, and it gives Green Bay a chance to see whether last season was the outlier or whether Pittsburgh let him go a little too early.
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