The Pittsburgh Steelers recently dealt WR Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers after five seasons with the team, and Johnson played with both QB Ben Roethlisberger and QB Kenny Pickett during his Steelers tenure. In an interview with Kassidy Hill of Panthers.com, Johnson explained how playing with Roethlisberger helped him adjust to Kenny Pickett in 2022 and beyond.
“I feel like (Ben) kind of helped me out adjusting with Kenny,” Johnson explained. “I kind of showed him how I run routes, what to expect here or where I want the ball at or certain stuff like that. He picked up stuff so quick, he didn’t really need much help from that standpoint, but on the field, I kind of wanted to just let him know how I play and what he should be expecting.”
Roethlisberger was a veteran at the time Johnson was a rookie, so more or less, Roethlisberger was going to do things his way and adjust to how Roethlisberger wanted to do things. In turn, though, that helped Johnson, a Toledo product, adjust to how NFL quarterbacks play and what they like and helped him adjust to the game. Once his game was adapted, Johnson figured out what did and didn’t work and tuned his game that way, which helped him show Pickett what he wanted.
With Johnson an established veteran and Pickett a rookie in 2022, it was Johnson who could kind of tell Pickett how he likes it and potentially give him tips from things that Roethlisberger did. Johnson never thrived under Pickett the way he did with Roethlisberger though, as he didn’t catch a touchdown in 2022 and finished with just 882 yards, although with 86 receptions. Johnson then missed four games due to injury in 2023 and finished with 51 receptions and 717 yards with five touchdowns, but he now finds himself in Carolina to play out the last year of his contract.
In Carolina, Johnson is now working with another young quarterback in 2023 first overall pick Bryce Young, who struggled a bit in his rookie season. Johnson can now work with Young the same way he did with Pickett and Roethlisberger and adapt to Young’s game while also showing him what he likes and what he can do as a wide receiver.
Johnson will look to have more success with Young than he did with Pickett and enter free agency next offseason after a strong season. In his final season with Roethlisberger in 2021, Johnson had 107 receptions for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns, and as Carolina’s No. 1 receiver, he’ll look to have a similar season. Johnson fell to the No. 2 in Pittsburgh behind George Pickens, but he’ll likely be the unquestioned No. 1 in Carolina and try to help Young develop while having a strong enough season to earn himself some money next offseason.
