Pittsburgh Steelers fans were in disbelief after rookie running back Kaleb Johnson made an inexcusable gaffe on special teams, directly resulting in a Seahawks touchdown during the team's 31–17 loss in Week 2.

Following his unthinkable mistake, the Steelers don't intend to have the 22-year-old returning kicks, at least not for the time being. Mike Tomlin spoke to reporters Tuesday and indicated that Johnson would "probably not" be back in that role going forward, and that the rookie would need to earn the spot back, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.

Johnson's miscue drew quite a response from football fans across the league. The rookie appeared to not fully know the league's kickoff rules. He came into contact with the ball while attempting to field the return, but did not secure it. After misplaying the ball, Johnson didn't pursue it, and instead began walking off the field toward the sideline. As such, the ball was live and rolled into the end zone, where Seattle's special teams unit was able to corral it for a touchdown.

Here's a look at that play:

It's not as if Johnson is new to the return game. During his time in college at Iowa, he served as the Hawkeyes' return man during his freshman season, returning 13 kicks for 325 yards. He had eight returns for 190 yards in his first two games in the NFL.

As for who will be tasked with returning kicks going forward, Tomlin says the team has not reached a decision just yet. Johnson and fellow running back Kenneth Gainwell are the only players on the team who have returned kicks in 2025.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steelers Make Decision on Kaleb Johnson As Kick Returner After Special Teams Mishap.

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