After missing the last four weeks while recovering from a hamstring injury, wide receiver Diontae Johnson is set to make his return in Week Seven for the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road against the Los Angeles Rams.
Johnson’s return to the lineup will be a major boost for the Steelers, as Pittsburgh has been without its true No. 1 receiver, leading to some major struggles.
Though second-year receiver George Pickens has broken out in a major way without Johnson in the fold, getting the veteran pass catcher back will unlock more opportunities for Pickens.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday from the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side, Johnson stated that he’s hoping to take some of the burden off Pickens by the two complementing one another.
“I’m hoping to take a lot off his plate, get back to doing what we do best, which is playing football and making plays,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday, according to video via 93.7 The Fan on Twitter. “George is going to be George out there. Me and him on the field at the same time, we feed off of each other. When he makes a play, I make a play. When he makes a play it gets me hype, and vice versa.”
Together, the two should be able to give defenses fits through the air.
With Johnson out of the lineup over the last four weeks, the Steelers have seen Pickens facing a lot of additional attention from defenses. That won’t be the case moving forward, even with Pickens becoming a No. 1-caliber receiver in Johnson’s absence, compiling two 100-plus-yard games and scoring two touchdowns in the four games.
Though Pickens and second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett have developed rather strong chemistry in recent weeks with Pickens being the top receiver, Johnson’s return to the lineup will give a big boost to the Steelers’ offense and will take quite a bit off Pickens’ plate.
Johnson’s presence alone with draw a ton of attention from opposing defenses as they will likely roll coverage towards the veteran receiver in an effort to take away the Steelers’ top route runner and true No. 1 receiver. Taking that responsibility off Pickens should theoretically open up more opportunities for the second-year receiver in the process.
The duo works well together. Hopefully Johnson’s return is the boost the offense truly needs.
