The next time the Pittsburgh Steelers take to the field for a game, standout wide receiver Diontae Johnson should be back in the lineup.
Johnson, who is currently on Injured Reserve while recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in Week One against the San Francisco 49ers, told reporters Tuesday that “hell yeah” he’ll be playing in Week Seven on the road against the Los Angeles Rams when the Steelers come off their bye week.
That will be a massive boost to a struggling Pittsburgh offense, especially second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday from inside the Steelers’ locker room at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side, Pickett stated that the Steelers are excited to get “a really talented” guy in Johnson back. He added that it’s clear if you’ve been watching the Steelers’ offense that they have missed Johnson.
“Obviously, he’s a really talented guy, and we’ve missed him a lot. He helps move the chains. He gets great separation. He’s been a great teammate and leader in that room as well and helping guys out. So, I mean getting him back is going to be massive for our offense,” Pickett said to reporters, according to the transcript provided by the team. “And I think just by watching us you can see that we’ve missed him, and I think it’ll help George [Pickens] out.
“It’ll help Allen [Robinson II] and Cal [Calvin Austin III] and kind of those guys that have been really working hard and playing a lot of snaps. So, I think it’ll be great for us as a whole to get 18 back.”
It will certainly help everyone out offensively to get Johnson back. One of the league’s best route runners, Johnson draws a ton of attention no matter where he’s lined up on the field. He’s that piece that defenses need to be cautious of because of his ability to separate and get open.
The Steelers have missed that type of receiver something fierce in the last four weeks, even with George Pickens taking on a starring role for the Steelers’ offense, putting together three great games in the last four weeks.
Once Johnson is back on the field, that will take some attention away from Pickens, opening things up for the second-year receiver. Same for Robinson and Austin, the two of whom have had their moments the last few weeks.
Though Johnson isn’t going to be that magic cure-all for the offense’s woes, he’ll be part of the potential answer that the Steelers might find over the bye week. Hopefully the hamstring issue is behind him for good moving forward, allowing him to return to the high level of play he’s shown throughout his time in the Black and Gold.
