The Green Bay Packers did not trade much for second-year running back Kaleb Johnson. However, that does not mean that they do not intend to use him in a limited manner. Johnson had a rocky start to his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote that Johnson has a combination of talent and opportunity in front of him.
“The Johnson trade to the Packers is interesting, too,” wrote Breer. “The former second-round pick lost confidence last year after falling out of the rotation. But there’s talent to work with and, in Jacobs’s absence, some opportunity too.”
Breer is referring to Josh Jacobs, who was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. The timeline for how long he will be on the list is not known. However, in the past, the minimum has been six games.
The Packers’ trade for Johnson suggests that they expect Jacobs to miss a good chunk of the season, which is why the team is adding someone young with potential, such as Johnson.
Running Back Kaleb Johnson Has Opportunity With Green Bay Packers
Johnson was a third-round pick and went 83rd overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. In his last year at Iowa, Johnson rushed for 1,537 yards and looked like a player who would fit in the NFL.
However, things never quite broke his way in Pittsburgh. He had a brainfart on a kickoff return in the second week of his NFL career, and the team hardly gave him a chance from that point forward. He finished his rookie season active for just ten games with 28 rushes for 69 yards.
The Steelers changed coaching staffs between his first and second year. However, he still entered his second NFL season buried on the depth chart. Rookie seventh-round pick Eli Heidenrich made the roster over him in 2026.
The Steelers accepted just a 2028 sixth-round pick. However, despite Pittsburgh giving up within two years, he has a fresh start and a chance to make noise.
Packers Running Back Depth Chart is Open
MarShawn Lloyd is expected to take most of the work for the Packers. The third-round pick was 87th overall in the 2024 draft, so about the same pick as Johnson a year prior. He has even fewer carries than Johnson, with six rushes for 15 yards.
The only other depth behind Johnson and Lloyd right now is Chris Brooks. Brooks has 63 carries over two seasons with the Packers. However, he is a UDFA from 2023 and has just 82 carries in three NFL seasons.
Last year, he had 27 carries for 106 yards. So, the Packers like his ability as a depth back and an emergency option. However, they do not really trust him to take on a full workload.
The career-high for rushes in a season for any of these three backs is 36, and combined, they have 116 carries. It could be any one of the three taking the carries.
So, the clock is reset on Johnson, and he has a new chance to live up to his draft value. Or, he can prove the Steelers were right.
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