Kaleb Johnson Camp Update — August 31: Traded to Green Bay on Cut Day

Kaleb Johnson is a Green Bay Packer. Pittsburgh traded him Sunday for a sixth-round pick in the 20 28 draft, pending a physical, per Jeremy Fowler at ESPN, with both clubs confirming, per Teresa Varley at Steelers.com and Evan Siegle at packers.com. Eight days ago this episode was about whether he would survive Pittsburgh's cut.

The Pittsburgh side of the story is unsentimental. Two days before the trade, Matthew Marczi at Steelers Depot wrote that the verdict was "all but in" on Johnson as "Omar Khan's worst draft pick so far." Johnson does not appear in Brian Batko's account of the finale at Buffalo at Steelers.com; the back who does is rookie Eli Heidenreich — nine carries for 35 yards and a touchdown — who won the third running back job, per Batko, leaving Pittsburgh's room at Rico Dowdle, Jaylen Warren and Heidenreich, per Varley.

What he walks into is the reversal. The same Sunday, the NFL placed Josh Jacobs on the Commissioner's Exempt List — barred from practice and play, indefinitely, per Kevin Patra at NFL.com — and Green Bay's announced backfield is MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks and Johnson, per Wes Hodkiewicz at packers.com. Bill Huber at Packers On SI frames the ask: a "quick study capable of restarting his career," getting "a badly needed fresh start." Mike Spofford at packers.com notes the sixth-rounder sent to Pittsburgh is the one acquired from Miami hours earlier for Kyle McCord, and carries the resume: in his final Iowa season, 240 carries for 1537 yards and a school-record 21 touchdowns in 12 games, second-team All-America, before Pittsburgh drafted him in the third round, 80-third overall. The rookie year those credentials bought was 28 carries for 69 yards, per Spofford; our 20 25 numbers have him in 10 games with one catch for nine yards. The counterweight travels with him: Josh Carney's preseason grade at Steelers Depot — limited effectiveness, lacked burst, couldn't make defenders miss — is not erased by a change of address. Gray Deyo at SI Fantasy calls Johnson the primary beneficiary of the exempt-list move, while treating both him and Lloyd as late-round dart throws.

Back in June we called the college profile the whole reason to care and said this was a stash you cut by September if the path stayed closed; last week we said the path had not widened and cut day was the deadline. Both came due Sunday: Pittsburgh moved on — by trade rather than by cut — and the path reopened on a different roster, one whose lead back is out indefinitely. The physical is still pending, per Hodkiewicz, so nothing about this room is settled yet. We'll follow the file into the season.

_Data via nflverse._