Hypothetical Trade Sees Cowboys & Steelers Link Up For Deal Involving Running Back

An analyst has proposed a trade between the Cowboys and Steelers that wouldn't make any sense for Dallas to make.

Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One analyst believes it's not out of the realm of possibility that the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers work out a trade before the regular season begins.

The analyst is FanSided's Zachary Rotman and he proposes a deal between Dallas and Pittsburgh that would send running back Kaleb Johnson to the Cowboys.

Rotman believes Johnson is expendable because of the Steelers' one-two punch atop the depth chart of Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle.

He thinks Dallas might be interested in Johnson as another candidate in the RB2 battle the Cowboys have.

"If the Steelers were to trade him, the Cowboys, a team that has a knack for trading for former high draft picks at their lowest value, could express interest," he said. "Johnson could join Dallas' RB2 competition alongside the likes of Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah and maybe even win it, giving him a shot at turning his career around."

Kaleb Johson's disastrous rookie season

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson (20) runs the ball during the 1st quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Allison Lawhon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Johnson was a third-round pick of the Steelers in 2025, but his first season in the NFL was nothing short of a disaster.

The Iowa product touched the ball just 29 times, and while he was a victim of another strong Steelers one-two punch of Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, it was also quite apparent he failed to gain the trust of the coaching staff after being inactive for multiple games.

Making matters worse for Johnson, his season was further marred by kickoff blunders in back-to-back weeks, which erased yet another avenue for him to contribute.

The fact that the Steelers added another running back to replace Gainwell instead of promoting Johnson to RB2 tells us everything we need to know about how the Steelers view the second-year back.

It also was noteworthy that Johnson saw just two carries in the first preseason game and operated behind the likes of Travis Homer and Lew Nichols.

Why Cowboys wouldn't make this trade

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones at training camp. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This trade makes no sense for the Cowboys to make, even with the team holding a battle for the RB2 spot.

Sure, Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah are both unproven, and Malik Davis has his own concern when it comes to his pass-catching abilities, but Johnson is an even bigger question mark after his lackluster rookie season.

Even though it would cost minimal draft capital to acquire the former third-round pick with his stock in the toilet, the fact he would add nothing to the competition means giving up even a seventh-round pick is not worth it.

And, with Johnson looking like a prime cut candidate, it's possible Dallas could just scoop him up off the waiver wire or in free agency if they have any semblance of interest.

The Cowboys are better served holding on to their draft capital and sticking with the guys they have now.

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