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Steelers RB Kaleb Johnson 'probably not' returning kicks 'in the short term' after rookie's Week 2 mishap

There are rookie mistakes, and there's what happened to Kaleb Johnson this past Sunday.

Johnson's in the doghouse after a fourth-quarter kickoff bounced in the landing zone and over his head before Seattle Seahawks running back George Holani recovered it in the end zone to turn a 17-14 advantage into a 24-14 lead that proved insurmountable in a 31-17 Seahawks victory.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters Tuesday that Johnson, whom Pittsburgh took in the third round of this year's NFL Draft, will "probably not" continue to return kicks "in the short term."

"I'm certainly going to give [Johnson] an opportunity to work his way back from that," Tomlin said, via ESPN. "I believe in his talent. He's a sharp young man. He's a hard worker, and so you leave the light on for him. You give him an opportunity to move on from it, but he has to do that.

"He has to display that with his daily work, and he's going to earn himself back in the position to be a participant. And so we'll see where the rows lead us. I'm open to it, certainly."

While Tomlin said he hasn't figured out who will return kickoffs in Johnson's place, it's worth noting that fellow Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell is the team's other return man.

Johnson returned eight kickoffs over the first two games of the season, averaging 23.8 yards per return. After rushing for 21 touchdowns and more than 1,500 yards last season at Iowa, he finds himself behind Gainwell and a recently-extended Jaylen Warren on the depth chart.

Special teams gave Johnson a chance to shine right away. Except he made headlines for the wrong reason with his Week 2 gaffe.

It followed a 54-yard Jason Myers field goal. Myers' subsequent kickoff took a nasty hop and floated over Johnson's helmet. He didn't chase after it even though, according to the NFL's new kickoff rule, any kickoff that drops in the landing zone — in other words, between the goal line and the 20-yard line — and goes into the end zone must be returned or downed by the receiving team. If it's not, it's a live ball, hence Holani's heads-up score.

Johnson didn't clarify if the ball touched him when he was asked about it postgame. He also didn't disclose if he knew the kickoff rule or not.

"If I wasn't sure, if I was sure, it doesn't matter," Johnson said, via ESPN. "I still got to do what I got to do, and I still got to go in there and execute the way it needs to be executed."

Now 1-1, the Steelers are hoping to bounce back this week on the road against the New England Patriots. Johnson's chance for redemption starts in practice, however.

Tomlin will have an eye on the first-year back and how he responds to adversity.

"You've got to man up, you got to acknowledge your shortcomings, and then you got to work to move beyond it," Tomlin said Tuesday, via ESPN. "And it's my job as a leader to provide that opportunity."

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