OTAs and mandatory minicamp are in the books, and the Steelers will set their sights on training camp at St. Vincent College in late July.

Before the players go back in time and stay in dorm rooms, Bleacher Report compiled a checklist for the Steelers to accomplish.

The first two items are the most recognizable:

1. Get Aaron Rodgers Up to Speed

2. Extend T.J. Watt

The third point is less obvious, but a key point of contention approaching camp. Kristopher Knox believes the Steelers need to figure out their backfield rotation to close the offseason.

“(Arthur) Smith also needs to figure out a new backfield rotation after losing Najee Harris in free agency, although he’ll have plenty of options from which to choose,” Knox writes. “Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson are back, and the Steelers added Kenneth Gainwell and rookie third-round pick Kaleb Johnson.”

The Steelers declined Najee Harris’ fifth-year option and opened the door for Jaylen Warren to step into a lead role. Warren totaled 120 carries for 511 yards and one touchdown last season in 15 games. His 4.3 yards per carry was the lowest of his three-year career. He rushed for 784 yards (5.3 YPC) and four touchdowns during a breakout 2023 campaign.

Kaleb Johnson joins the fold following an explosive junior season at Iowa. Johnson rushed for a Big Ten-best 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns in 12 games, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. He combined for 1,242 yards and nine scores on the ground the previous two seasons. Speaking on The Fan Morning Show on 93.7 The Fan this week, Mark Kaboly said he thinks Johnson is a star in the making. Johnson made a good initial impression at OTAs and minicamp.

The Steelers aren’t going to rely on one back to carry the load. Harris and Warren split carries over the past two years and could see similar reps for Warren and Johnson, with Warren having the upper hand. Kenneth Gainwell adds a unique wrinkle to the fold. He won Super Bowl LIX with Philadelphia last season before signing a one-year deal in Pittsburgh. Still only 26, Gainwell rushed for 1,185 yards and 12 touchdowns over four seasons with the Eagles.

Gainwell brings a good combination of burst and speed to the backfield, similar to Warren, but with a slimmer frame at 5-foot-9, 200 pounds. He fits best as a third-down back catching the ball out of the backfield (102 career receptions and 721 receiving yards).

The congestion comes with Cordarrelle Patterson on the roster as a running back, but primarily used on special teams. The 34-year-old former wide receiver only received 32 carries for 135 yards. Half of his carries came in the first four games. Patterson doesn’t have the same burst he had on kickoffs years ago. He holds the NFL record for most kickoffs returned for a touchdown (nine), but the Steelers haven’t been able to capitalize on the dynamic kickoff rule.

It would be surprising to see the running back room sorted out by moving on from Patterson and keeping three backs going into Latrobe.