Many people will be excited to see wide receiver Diontae Johnson return to the field on Sunday. A hamstring injury Johnson sustained in the season opener sent him to the injured reserve, but he has said he’s ready to go against the Los Angeles Rams.
Perhaps no one is happier to hear this news than Kenny Pickett. Despite the Steelers being 3-2 and Pickett having some nice moments, he’s struggled with consistency. He ranks 30th out of 36 eligible quarterbacks in completion percentage, at a hair below 60%.
Luckily for Pickett, Johnson returning should help boost that number and the offense. Johnson talked about this today, in a video interview posted to Twitter from Chris Adamski of Trib Live.
“From a route-running standpoint, me being able to get open and giving that comfort to Kenny, [so he] knows who is going to be open at each down and distance.” Johnson noted. “It gives the offense a spark, to play fast, knowing Kenny is comfortable, and he’s got a guy that he doesn’t have to worry about. Just us playing as one and moving faster.”
Outside of George Pickens, Pickett hasn’t had any other reliable targets this year, as TE Pat Freiermuth has been banged up and hasn’t been involved much even when he has been on the field. Allen Robinson II has failed to make a big impact in Johnson’s absence as well.
The biggest advantage of Johnson returning for Pickett is just what Johnson mentioned today, his ability to get open. In fact, via FiveThirtyEight’s NFL receiving rankings, Johnson was the top-ranked player in the league at getting open last season. Pickens on the other hand, ranked outside of the top 80 in that category, as did Freiermuth.
While there is a bit of a question as to who is the top receiver in this offense now after Pickens’ hot start, I’d argue it doesn’t really matter. Regardless of who you call the 1A and the 1B, the two are going to complement each other quite well. Pickens always has the ability to make the big play or the spectacular catch as we’ve seen, and Johnson represents a bit of a safer underneath option who is as reliable as they come. Pickens being a deep threat should open things up for Johnson, and vice versa. At the very least, it forces defenses to make a decision on who to focus the majority of their energy on.
Pickett seemed to be able to get into a groove at the end of the Ravens game. With the boost from the return of Johnson, hopefully, he can keep it going post-bye week.
