Former Pittsburgh Steelers WR Diontae Johnson has already added the Carolina Panthers to his list of former teams. Come no later than March, it’s looking like he will add the Baltimore Ravens to that list, as well. That would mark potentially four teams within a calendar year, uncommon for a starting-caliber player with a Pro-Bowl resume.
And it’s all another feather in Mike Tomlin’s cap, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk argues. After all, Diontae Johnson is just the latest example of a player Tomlin moved on from who rapidly imploded. Teams have struggled to learn that there is a reason the Steelers move on from players, and it’s rarely money.
The arc of Diontae Johnson’s 2024 season is “another example of the mastery of Mike Tomlin”, Florio said. “He knows how to speak to the better angels of players who might be inclined to be a problem. Look at what he did with George Pickens after he got pushed down to the ground on the pick-six to start the game three plays into the opening drive. He pulls George Pickens aside and he says what he needs to say to get George Pickens ready to go out and score a touchdown and even things up”.
One can certainly classify Pickens as a player who might be inclined to be a problem. Whether by intention or not, he seems to manage a ruffled feather or two nearly weekly. Given how Diontae Johnson’s career has gone, one can wonder how Pickens fares without Tomlin if it comes to that.
Tomlin and the Steelers picked Johnson in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. While he had his ups and downs on the field, he generally had a successful career in Pittsburgh. And he never benefited from quality quarterback play, barring Ben Roethlisberger’s final years. The Steelers made a concerted effort to upgrade the quarterback position this offseason, yet they felt they could make improvements without Johnson’s aid.
Tomlin and the Steelers “decided they had enough with Diontae Johnson just like they decided they had enough with Antonio Brown just like they decided they had enough with other guys”, Florio said, failing to mention Chase Claypool by name. “And they might decide they’ve had enough with George Pickens, who knows? But the guy’s always gonna be worse the next stop. And we’re gonna see all the warts”.
Diontae Johnson’s warts surfaced this week after refusing to play for the Ravens, something that hardly sounds possible under Mike Tomlin. Tomlin once suspended Rashard Mendenhall for not showing up at all. But that was because he thought he didn’t have to show up after Tomlin told him he wouldn’t be playing.
While Tomlin moved on from Johnson and the Panthers followed suit, I don’t see the Ravens moving on from Diontae Johnson. They don’t have to play him, and, if necessary, they can continue to suspend him. Then they have a chance to earn a compensatory pick for him in free agency, and they can keep him away from another contender for the rest of this season.
