According to Pittsburgh radio personality Andrew Fillipponi, the Cincinnati Bengals are among the teams that could have interest in Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson, who appears to be on the roster bubble in Pittsburgh as the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline approaches.
Johnson’s availability would be an interesting development for Cincinnati. The Bengals have spent much of the preseason evaluating their depth behind Chase Brown and Samaje Perine, with players such as Tahj Brooks, Kendall Milton, and others competing for opportunities.
Following the Bengals’ preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles, Brooks and Milton remain among the players whose roster futures are uncertain.
If Pittsburgh ultimately decides to move on from Johnson, Cincinnati could potentially view him as a reclamation project with considerably more upside than his brief NFL résumé would suggest.
Rumor: The Bengals are eyeing Steelers RB Kaleb Johnson. If he’s cut. And could possibly try trading for the 3rd round bust RB.
Cincinnati has very little depth behind Chase Brown. And really liked Johnson in the 2025 NFL Draft. He went to Cincy for a draft visit.
Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/bJL8QqBNQS
Johnson is only entering his second NFL season, but his college résumé was impressive enough to make him a third-round selection.
The Steelers selected Johnson No. 83 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Iowa, making him the 17th player selected in that year’s draft class at the running back position. His final season with the Hawkeyes was particularly impressive.
In 2024, Johnson rushed 240 times for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns, averaging an impressive 6.4 yards per carry. He also caught 22 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns.
Over three seasons at Iowa, Johnson accumulated:
- 508 rushing attempts
- 2,779 rushing yards
- 30 rushing touchdowns
- 29 receptions
- 240 receiving yards
- 2 receiving touchdowns
His 2,779 rushing yards rank sixth in Iowa history, and he became just the fifth player in program history to record two 200-plus-yard rushing performances. That production was a major reason Pittsburgh invested a third-round pick in him.
His NFL career, however, hasn’t gone according to plan.
Johnson hasn’t been able to establish himself in PittsburghJohnson appeared in just 10 games as a rookie, carrying the ball 28 times for only 69 yards, an average of 2.5 yards per carry. He did not score a touchdown and caught just one pass for nine yards. He did contribute as a kickoff returner, bringing back eight kicks for 190 yards, a 23.8-yard average.
One of Johnson’s more notable performances came against Cincinnati last season. He carried five times for 15 yards during Pittsburgh’s 34-12 victory over the Bengals in Week 11. But that wasn’t enough to establish him as a regular part of Pittsburgh’s offense.
And his situation hasn’t improved dramatically during the 2026 preseason. Johnson has rushed 12 times for 42 yards through Pittsburgh’s first two preseason games, while adding two receptions for 15 yards.
He did have a somewhat encouraging performance against the Jets, carrying 10 times for 39 yards and catching both of his targets for 15 yards. But Johnson has remained behind Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle in Pittsburgh’s running-back hierarchy, and his roster status remains uncertain.
That has led to increasing speculation that Pittsburgh could either trade him or ultimately release him.
Why would the Bengals be interested?The obvious question is: Why would Cincinnati want another running back?
The answer is that the Bengals’ depth behind Brown and Perine isn’t exactly settled.
Brown is clearly positioned as Cincinnati’s primary back after establishing himself as a major part of the offense, while Perine provides veteran experience and pass-protection ability. After those two, however, the Bengals have questions.
Brooks hasn’t consistently separated himself from the competition. Milton has flashed but hasn’t generated overwhelming production. Cincinnati also has other young backs competing for opportunities, with Jamal Haynes and Kentrel Bullock having solid outings in the preseason finale versus the Eagles.
That’s where Johnson becomes intriguing.
At his best, Johnson was a physical, productive runner who excelled in Iowa’s zone-running scheme. His 1,537-yard junior season demonstrated that he has the ability to carry a significant workload.
And he’s still only 23 years old. A change of scenery could potentially give him an opportunity to restart his development.
The Bengals wouldn’t necessarily need to give up muchIf Pittsburgh decides that Johnson isn’t going to make the roster, the question becomes whether Cincinnati would rather claim him off waivers or attempt to acquire him via trade. A trade would obviously require some compensation, and there’s little reason for Cincinnati to surrender significant draft capital for a player who could potentially become available after roster cuts.
The Steelers are reportedly exploring trade possibilities for Johnson, with recent speculation suggesting that a late-round pick swap could be enough to facilitate a deal. One recent Steelers Depot proposal had Pittsburgh sending Johnson and a seventh-round pick to Dallas in exchange for a sixth-rounder.
That illustrates the type of market Johnson could be in. The Bengals probably wouldn’t want to pay much for a player who could potentially be available on waivers.
But if Cincinnati’s personnel department believes Johnson still possesses the talent that made him a third-round pick, a late-round flier could make sense.
There is some irony to the potential fitThere’s also an interesting bit of history here. Johnson’s best NFL game as a rookie against the Bengals was modest by any measure — five carries for 15 yards — but Cincinnati’s defense got a firsthand look at him last season.
More importantly, Johnson grew up in Cincinnati and attended Hamilton High School before starring at Iowa. And, as Fillipponi noted, the former Hawkeyes back had a pre-draft visit with the Bengals.
So a move to the Bengals would represent a return home for the former Hamilton standout. That’s not a reason for Cincinnati to acquire him, of course, but it certainly makes the possibility more interesting from a local perspective.
Should the Bengals actually pursue him?There’s a reasonable argument for both sides.
On one hand, Johnson’s NFL production to date has been disappointing. He averaged only 2.5 yards per carry as a rookie, hasn’t established himself as a reliable receiving option, and hasn’t consistently separated himself from Pittsburgh’s other running backs.
On the other hand, he’s a former third-round pick with an elite college résumé who is only 23 years old. That’s exactly the type of player a team might be willing to take a relatively inexpensive chance on—especially with the track record of the Bengals liking these types of backgrounds for cheap additions.
And Cincinnati has already demonstrated this offseason that it is willing to add talent to positions where competition is fierce. The Bengals don’t necessarily need Kaleb Johnson.
But if Pittsburgh decides to move on from him, Cincinnati should at least be doing its homework. The Bengals’ preseason made one thing abundantly clear: depth matters.
And if Johnson is released, Cincinnati could have an opportunity to add a talented young running back who simply hasn’t found the right situation yet. For now, though, this remains a report of potential interest rather than any indication that a trade is imminent.
The next 48 hours should tell us whether the former Iowa star is headed back to Cincinnati — or looking for his third NFL opportunity elsewhere.
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