Following their Week Six bye, the Pittsburgh Steelers could get a big boost offensively. Injured in the season opener, WR Diontae Johnson told reporters Tuesday he’s returning for the team’s next game, their Week Seven contest against the Los Angeles Rams.
“Hell yeah, I’m coming back,” Johnson said via The Trib’s Chris Adamski earlier today. “I’ve been working my behind off the last three, four weeks.”
Johnson suffered a hamstring injury in the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers, pulling up lame at the end of a 26-yard catch-and-run. Though there was initial optimism he would avoid an IR stint, the team placed him on that list later in the week, knocking him out for at least the next four games.
Johnson said he got additional work today to test his body and felt great after moving around.
“Today was one of those days to see how far I’ve come along,” he said. “Everything looked great out there to them. I felt completely great and healthy. I’m ready for Monday when we come back and start getting back to work.”
Week Seven will be the first game in which Johnson is eligible to play. The Steelers could open his practice window later this week or next week — the team will have a Monday practice — and activate him off IR ahead of their game against the Rams. Getting Johnson back would be a jolt to a passing game that needs it. Though WR George Pickens has made plays and WR Calvin Austin III has offered the occasional splash, Johnson is still the team’s best route runner who can be an asset at all levels to the field. Through five games, RB Jaylen Warren ranks second on the team in receptions and yards, signifying how little they’ve gotten from their wide receiver room sans Pickens.
It might not just be Johnson returning for the Steeler’s next game. Five players missed Week Five’s game due to injury, including TE Pat Freiermuth and OG James Daniels. It’s possible each of them could play against the Rams, too. There’s also the question of when DT Cam Heyward returns. Also injured since Week One, Heyward told reporters last week he would return this year but didn’t have a timetable for when. A Week Seven return would be optimistic, most initial projections had him out until about Thanksgiving, but the bye gives him an extra week to rehab and get ready.
