​According to Pittsburgh radio personality Andrew Fillipponi, the Cincinnati Bengals are among the teams that could have interest in Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson, who appears to be on the roster bubble in Pittsburgh as the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline approaches.Johnson’s availability would be an interesting development for Cincinnati. The Bengals have spent much of the preseason evaluating their depth behind Chase Brown and Samaje Perine, with players such as Tahj Brooks, Kendall Milton, and others competing for opportunities. Following the Bengals’ preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles, Brooks and Milton remain among the players whose roster futures are uncertain.If Pittsburgh ultimately decides to move on from Johnson, Cincinnati could potentially view him as a reclamation project with considerably more upside than his brief NFL résumé would suggest.Rumor: The Bengals are eyeing Steelers RB Kaleb Johnson. If he’s cut. And could possibly try trading for the 3rd round bust RB.Cincinnati has very little depth behind Chase Brown. And really liked Johnson in the 2025 NFL Draft. He went to Cincy for a draft visit.Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/bJL8QqBNQS— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) August 29, 2026Johnson was a highly productive college running backJohnson is only entering his second NFL season, but his college résumé was impressive enough to make him a third-round selection.The Steelers selected Johnson No. 83 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Iowa, making him the 17th player selected in that year’s draft class at the running back position. His final season with the Hawkeyes was particularly impressive.In 2024, Johnson rushed 240 times for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns, averaging an impressive 6.4 yards per carry. He also caught 22 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns.Over three seasons at Iowa, Johnson accumulated:508 rushing attempts2,779 rushing yards30 rushing touchdowns29 receptions240 receiving yards2 receiving touchdownsHis 2,779 rushing yards rank sixth in Iowa history, and he became just the fifth player in program history to record two 200-plus-yard rushing performances. That production was a major reason Pittsburgh invested a third-round pick in him.His NFL career, however, hasn’t gone according to plan.Johnson hasn’t been able to establish himself in PittsburghJohnson appeared in just 10 games as a rookie, carrying the ball 28 times for only 69 yards, an average of 2.5 yards per carry. He did not score a touchdown and caught just one pass for nine yards. He did contribute as a kickoff returner, bringing back eight kicks for 190 yards, a 23.8-yard average.One of Johnson’s more notable performances came against Cincinnati last season. He carried five times for 15 yards during Pittsburgh’s 34-12 victory over the Bengals in Week 11. But that wasn’t enough to establish him as a regular part of Pittsburgh’s offense.And his situation hasn’t improved dramatically during the 2026 preseaso