The Pittsburgh Steelers parted ways with Najee Harris because as good of a rusher as he was, he wasn’t a real red zone threat. He had three, 1,000-yard rushing seasons, but in his final year in Pittsburgh had just six rushing touchdowns.
So Pittsburgh turned to Kaleb Johnson in this draft to replace him. While they may feel they have an upgrade in the run game, they might miss Harris in the pass protection. That could be even more prevalent this year because right now, Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson are battling for the starting job.
Johnson pointed out that pass protection is his weakness. That said, he’s making efforts to improve that. He made it clear he’s taking time after practice to work on that and improve it.
“Pass blocking that’s my main thing. That’s what I want to work on. I’m going to work on it every day. After practice, just going over there with the bag right there and hitting it with Coach Faulkner. Just learning, and learning from Warren, too, because he’s one of the best dudes in the league right now. I told him let’s do it. Let’s work after every practice and do it. He’s with it, and I’m down to go,” Johnson said, h/t Penn Live.
If he can improve his pass protection, maybe the Steelers won’t regret losing Harris after all.
Kaleb Johnson recognizing his pass protection weakness is a good sign for the rookie running back
Johnson could end up being a solid pick up for the Steelers, but that’s contingent on him improving as a pass protector and being a consistent rusher for Pittsburgh this season. Consistency was Harris’ biggest knock.
The Steelers could use pass protection help, but I think they need a consistent rusher right now. They have two mediocre quarterbacks so passing the ball probably isn’t their primary focus. They’re going to be a run-heavy team.
Good for Johnson to work on his pass protection, but it might not be that critical for him, at least right now. He’s been lauded as a solid receiver out of the backfield. According to his NFL.com scouting report, he’s a patient, consistent runner that can produce at a high level with a heavy workload.
That’s why the Steelers wanted to replace Harris with him. They aren’t looking for him to be an elite pass protector. With Rudolph and Thompson, it probably won’t matter if he can be a solid option for a third-down running back.
Johnson understanding that as his weakness is one thing, working on it is another thing. That’s one reason the Steelers made a good decision in getting him. Now he just has to make sure the Steelers don’t regret letting Harris go this past offseason.