Aaron Rodgers was unable to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to their second consecutive win when they faced the Seattle Seahawks. A costly mistake by rookie Kaleb Johnson drew attention, and head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the issue in a press conference, confirming that he had made a final decision.
Johnson committed a notable error on a kickoff return that resulted in a touchdown for Seattle. After the Seahawks took the lead over the Steelers with a field goal, kicker Jason Myers sent a kickoff that Johnson failed to handle properly.
The play disrupted Rodgers’ team plans in the game, which they ultimately lost 31-17. Tomlin immediately described the play as “poor judgment by a young player.” A few days later, the Steelers coach had time to think things through and make decisive decisions regarding the situation.
What did Tomlin decide about Johnson?
“Kaleb Johnson will likely not return kickoffs in the short term. He has to earn the right to return to that role,” Tomlin said during his usual Tuesday press conference. The Steelers coach also mentioned that he has not yet started evaluating candidates to replace Johnson on kickoff returns.
Kaleb Johnson of the Steelers
“Without a doubt, I will give him the chance to recover from that mistake. I believe in his talent. He’s a smart, hard-working young man, so we need to leave the light on for him. He has to overcome what happened, and he will have the opportunity to do so,” Tomlin added.
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An unfamiliar role for Johnson
Johnson had not taken on the Kick Return role since his college football days, when he covered the position in 2022 for Iowa. Assigning him that role against the Seahawks was risky and ultimately backfired, allowing Seattle to take a 17-14 lead in a game it would go on to win.
