The Steelers are now back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, facing down a long regular season that looks a lot more promising given how things have gone leading up to it. Finishing just above .500 last year, they anticipate being able to compete with any team in the league this season with second-year QB Kenny Pickett leading the way.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year. The results have been positive so far.
Even well into the regular season and beyond, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered. When will the core rookies get to play, or even start? Is the depth sufficient where they upgraded? Can they stand toe-to-toe with the Bengals and the other top teams in the league? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: How much is the offense missing WR Diontae Johnson?
Remember him? The Steelers’ number one receiver? Diontae Johnson went down with a hamstring injury early in the second half of the season opener. The injury occurred while he was making a play, trying to spark a flagging offense. He will miss at least one more game before becoming eligible to practice and play going into the bye week.
While there have been individual highlights in the passing game since then, namely 70-plus-yard touchdown catches by George Pickens and Calvin Austin III in consecutive weeks, there still seems to have been something missing.
Namely, a consistently open target, which is what Johnson has been good for. While not the sole reason, I strongly suspect one of the issues with QB Kenny Pickett vacating clean pockets goes back to his lack of confidence in finding an open receiver while facing pressure.
Even while Pickens and Austin are making plays, particularly the latter, you might notice that they don’t often have great separation. In Pickens’ case, he actually isn’t making his contested catches so far this year, which is one of many problems with the offense. But his catches are coming when they scheme him open.
Perhaps a wide receiver with Johnson’s skill set is the missing ingredient. From Hines Ward to Antonio Brown, the Steelers have long functioned best with a possession-type receiver who can reliably get open and make plays when needed for his quarterback.
Now, Johnson hasn’t been consistently reliable at the catch point or thereafter in putting him with names like those mentioned above. I’ll grant you that. But the easiest way to get the ball is to be open, and the Steelers’ receivers haven’t been getting open the way Pickett needs them to.
