Steelers coach Mike Tomlin may have no choice but to go back to a player that he benched vociferously.

You think third round running back Kaleb Johnson learned his lesson?

After making a silly mistake while returning a kickoff in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, Johnson hasn’t seen the football field since.

But given the Steelers woes in the run game, Tomlin may have no choice but to look back to Johnson.

Pittsburgh is currently the 31st-ranked team in rushing yards per game, averaging only 63 yards.

It was clear from the beginning of training camp that veteran running back Jaylen Warren was going to get the bulk of the carries – and he has. 

The problem is that Warren hasn’t created the amount of opportunities that the Steelers have been hoping for. On 43 carries, Warren is only averaging 3.1 yards per carry – which would be a career low for the veteran.

As a receiver, he’s been fantastic, including hauling in a 65 yard screen pass against the Seahawks in Week 2. But beyond that, as the bellcow, Warren may not be the answer.

Tomlin also seems to be a big fan of Kenneth Gainwell, who spent his first few seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. However, as the primary backup, it’s clear that he’s not making that much of a difference with only 55 yards on 16 carries.

So why not bring the rookie back into the mix?

Ahead of the Ireland matchup against the Vikings, Tomlin told reporters that he was very pleased with Johnson’s progress and that he may have positioned himself to be a contributor this week.

Johnson was a stud in college while playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes, where he led the Big 12 in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and total touchdowns prior to entering the draft. Not only that, he was named as an All American.

The talent is clearly there, it’s about the desire to cut the mistakes. The NFL is a league where there’s virtually zero margin for error, and he’s already found himself in the hole with his Week 2 blunder.

For Sunday morning’s game, it was already reported that Warren went down with a knee injury, but that he’s been practicing with a sleeve on his knee and plans on playing.

But his status is certainly something to be aware of, because it could possibly open the door to more snaps for Johnson.