Pittsburgh’s offense will get a boost this week with the return of receiver Diontae Johnson.
The veteran receiver has been sidelined by a hamstring injury since Week 1 and the Steelers have missed him. Quarterback Kenny Pickett said on Wednesday that it’s great to have Johnson back on the field.
“[Johnson brings] his experience and route running and understanding of our offense and what we want to do,” Pickett said in his press conference. “You know, I feel like another guy that if he’s one on one, he’s going to win for me. He does a great job in all areas of being a receiver, so it’s awesome to have him.”
Pickett added that he feels like Johnson is one of the players who can help get him easy completions.
“I mean, he’s just a really talented player overall,” Pickett said. “He does a lot of different things, you know, really well for us. A great guy to talk to on the bench with seeing different things defensively and what they’re doing. So, guy gets open, guy moves the chains for us. Going to be a huge asset moving forward.”
Johnson’s presence should also help unlock some more plays for second-year receiver George Pickens, with Pickett noting Johnson can help balance a defense’s focus.
“George was getting a lot of attention. He was still having success, but there [was] still a lot of attention going to [No.] 14’s way,” Pickett said. “Now that [No.] 18 is back out there. I feel like he kind of balances us up a little bit. So, you know, good to see how they play us here on Sunday. I’ll figure it out.”
Johnson caught three passes for 48 yards before going down in Week 1. Last season, he finished with 86 catches for 882 yards.