Kaleb Johnson was one of the names a lot of Vikings fans had circled going into the 2025 NFL Draft, and for good reason. The former Iowa running back looked like the kind of back Minnesota could stash for the future.
Instead, the Vikings watched Pittsburgh take him in the third round, and his first season with the Steelers didn’t exactly announce his arrival. Johnson finished with 69 rushing yards on 28 carries across 10 games, a quiet rookie year that left plenty of room for a second-season jump.
Now, though, his spot in Pittsburgh may not be as secure as it once seemed. On Thursday, 93.7 The Fan’s Andrew Filliponi posted on X: "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."
That said, the picture isn’t fully settled. There’s already been another read on Johnson’s summer. A few days earlier, SteelersNow.com’s Alan Saunders pointed to him as one of Pittsburgh’s camp winners, writing 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 Johnson could be on the move, or he could be holding his ground. Either way, Minnesota should be watching closely.
The Vikings are in decent shape at running back for 2026 with Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason at the top of the depth chart. But both of them are scheduled to hit free agency in 2027, and the only running back currently on Minnesota’s roster under contract beyond this season is rookie Demond Claiborne.
That makes Johnson an obvious name to keep in the conversation. If Pittsburgh waives him this summer, or if the Steelers decide to explore a trade, the Vikings should at least think about making a move - whether that means claiming him or sending a late-round pick to get him.
And the talent is still there. In the 2024 college football season, Johnson piled up 1,537 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns for Iowa, while also catching 22 passes for 188 yards and two more scores in 12 games.
He did it in the Big Ten, not against soft opposition, and that matters. Iowa’s conference just had the second-most players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft among all Power 5 conferences in college football.
If Vikings general manager Nolan Teasley is scanning the league for players who could help down the line, Johnson belongs on that list.
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For Loudermilk and Gerhardt, the problem is not just earning attention, but finding a lane on a team that has other bodies at the same positions and a premium on versatility. Younger players and undrafted challengers are part of the mix too, which is why the margin for error feels so small before the real games even begin. [Read more 🡒]
J.J. McCarthys Progress Just Raised The Stakes At Vikings Camp
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McCarthys accuracy and ball placement have been trending in the right direction, and that kind of progress naturally changes the tone around camp. It also comes at a time when another quarterback, Kyler Murray, had an uneven day marked by some costly mistakes, which only sharpened the contrast as the Vikings sort through the week-to-week storylines that will shape the rest of camp. [Read more 🡒]