Steelers rookie Kaleb Johnson will watch from the bench after kick-returning flub

PITTSBURGH AP Kaleb Johnson s mental lapse in Pittsburgh s loss to Seattle has temporarily cost the rookie his job returning kicks Steelers coach Mike Tomlin disclosed Tuesday that Johnson is off the kick-return company in the short term after the third-round draft pick opted not to chase after a live ball that bounced over his head early in the fourth quarter against the Seahawks Seattle s George Holani chased it down and fell on it just before it rolled over the end line for a gift touchdown that propelled the Seahawks to a - win and erased Pittsburgh s early season momentum just as hurriedly as it appeared I m certainly going to give him an opportunity to work his way back from that error Tomlin revealed I believe in his talent He s a sharp young man He is a hard worker So you leave the light on for him You give him an opportunity to move on from it but he has to do that Johnson returned kicks briefly early in his career at Iowa before becoming the Hawkeyes starting running back The Steelers selected him rd overall in the draft enamored with his size -foot- pounds and ability to create what Tomlin described as NFL-quality runs against defenses stacked to stop him While Johnson has yet to crack the running back rotation led by Jaylen Warren and Kenny Gainwell Pittsburgh hoped his vision would help him be effective on special teams The early returns have been OK if not spectacular Johnson was averaging yards per return before his gaffe assumed to be the first kickoff recovery in the end zone for a outcome in years You ve got to man up Tomlin reported You ve got to acknowledge your shortcomings and then you ve got to work to move beyond it And it s my job as a leader to provide that opportunity Tomlin declined to specify who would take over Johnson s spot He was benched without delay in the tournament with Jaylen Warren lining up deep next to Gainwell on the ensuing kickoff after Seattle s recovery It seems unlikely that Warren who returned kicks earlier in his career is a long-term remedy given his increased workload as Pittsburgh s starting running back The Steelers - will try to regroup on the road next week at New England - with a defense that has been hit hard by injuries Rookie defensive lineman Derrick Harmon is expected to miss his third straight encounter with a sprained knee Safety DeShon Elliott is likely to miss a second consecutive contest with his own knee issue and outside linebacker Alex Highsmith is out with an ankle injury There s a chance cornerback Joey Porter Jr hamstring could return after sitting out against Seattle Darius Slay shoulder and linebacker Patrick Queen oblique are expected to play The spate of injuries to a veteran group is one of the reasons a defense that began the year with lofty expectations has struggled Pittsburgh is th in yards allowed and points allowed and has just three sacks through two games We ve got to be better Tomlin stated We got to strategize better We ve got a play better We got to divide the labor up a little better Various of that s been challenging with particular of the attrition but that s what we re paid to do and I m excited about addressing it this week AP NFL https apnews com hub nfl Source