Tim Benz: 'Not good. But better' mentality is aiding Kaleb Johnson and Derrick Harmon

If we can imagine the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2025 preseason as a typical sports movie, we’re at the mandatory “improvement montage” scene for the rookies.

Like Herb Brooks in “Miracle” coaching up goalie Jim Craig.

”Better. Not good. But better.”

That appears to be especially true for this year’s top two draft picks. First-round defensive lineman Derrick Harmon was quiet in Game 1 of the preseason against Jacksonville as he failed to register a tackle.

Meanwhile, third-round running back Kaleb Johnson put up only 20 yards on eight carries against the Jaguars, dropped a pass and failed to pop out as a safety valve on a sack.

In both cases, though, things went better Saturday night at home against Tampa Bay. Harmon had a sack and stuffed a running play at the line of scrimmage for no gain.

.@Steelers' first-round pick Derrick Harmon gets to the QB ????

Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/3SpTEnfyJg

— NFL (@NFL) August 16, 2025

“Week 1 was kind of rough for me. But I just trusted more in my abilities in the second game. Still a lot of work to do,” Harmon said. “I’m just ready to get back to work.”

Johnson ended up posting 50 yards on 11 carries. He also had a 34-yard kick return.

“I was timid (in Jacksonville) reading the flow of my linemen and connecting with them,” Johnson said. “I was talking all week about how I should be executing and doing better — progressing and developing over time. I feel like I did that.”

To add some texture, though, Harmon’s sack came against undrafted rookie guard Ben Scott. Johnson’s first five carries netted just 16 yards, and 14 of them came on one carry. Most of the damage he did was against Tampa’s backups.

So, it’s not like those accomplishments for either Harmon or Johnson were coming against the Buccaneers’ top-line players.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin seemed pleased with the incremental improvement anyway.

“Harmon and Kaleb Johnson really took a step forward off of their first performance,” Tomlin said during Saturday’s postgame press conference. “That’s a reasonable thing to expect (for the) second time stepping into a stadium. You see more of their talents.”

That view from Tomlin is probably the proper perspective to have with one preseason contest still to go (Thursday night in Carolina) for the franchise’s two most important picks this year.

“Better. Not good. But better” is where any number of rookies probably are right now across the NFL.

Unfortunately for Harmon and Johnson, they may need to get better faster than most. Harmon is, ostensibly, a replacement for Larry Ogunjobi. That means he must be ready for at least 12 starts and 500 snaps at, hopefully, an increased level of efficiency that they got from Ogunjobi in 2024 along the defensive line list year.

Johnson doesn’t have to put up the 1,326 yards from scrimmage Najee Harris did in 2024. But if Jaylen Warren has to, Johnson had better at least be ready to backfill the 821 yards that Warren did.

Those things may be easier to assume than to fulfill.

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“What did I mess up today? What can I do to get better? That’s all I’m looking at,” Johnson said. “It’s never relief. Relief is when you get too comfortable. That’s when you mess up.”

The NFL is a tough enough place to play that Harmon, Johnson and the rest of the Steelers’ rookie class may not let up at all, and the opposition could cause them to “mess up” even if their heads, hearts and bodies were in the right place. Fans and those of us in the media are going to have to accept that.

More importantly, the coaches better grasp that as well. These two players — along with Jack Sawyer and Yahya Black — are too important to bury on the bench or on the inactive list even if they have the occasional flub over the first few weeks.

A lack of options on the depth chart may aid Harmon in that regard. However, Johnson has to battle with Warren and Kenneth Gainwell for snaps.

Here’s to hoping they get a lot of runway to eventually get from “better” to “good.”