From watching, everyone knows that Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson is having a difficult season. To start the year, his lack of statistics were mostly attributed to the quarterback situation. Despite getting open constantly, Johnson wasn't receiving as many targets as his Pro Bowl 2021 season. Veteran quarterback Mitch Trubisky struggled to get anything going in the first month of the season, leading to a change.
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Teams also viewed Johnson as the Steelers' No. 1 wideout, meaning he was attracting the opposing team's best corner most of the time. Well, 12 games into the season, the excuses have ran out. While starting QB Kenny Pickett isn't necessarily throwing for 300 yards, the offense is moving the ball much better. Offensive coordinator Matt Canada deserves some credit, as they have obviously made some crucial adjustments since the Week 9 bye.
In the midst of the growth and improvement, Johnson is continuing to make the same mistakes. It's been a theme throughout his career, the bone-headed, avoidable mistakes. Fans and coaches have learned to take those low moments with all of his peaks, which have been fewer and further between this season. On what seemed like a bargain at the time for a No. 1 WR, the two-year, $36.71 million extension that he signed in the off-season is looking questionable now.
While he is under contract through the end of the 2024 season, it'll be curious to see if both sides don't try and find him a new team in 2023. If the team designated him as a post June 1 cut, or traded him AFTER June 1 he would count 5.8 million against the 2023 salary cap. But one of those moves would also free up 10 million. While it's very unlikely the team would outright release him, a trade could be feasible.
He was linked to WR-needy teams in the off-season, like the Green Bay Packers. Johnson's season-long inefficiencies continued in the team's Week 13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, including what was nearly a costly fumble. It was eventually ruled an incompletion, but his mistakes have seemed to come at an increasing rate this season. After the extension, many hoped those mistakes would subside a bit.
Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (@JSKO_PHOTO on Twitter)
This season has proved that separation isn't the end-all-be-all for wide receivers though. He's eclipsed 63 receiving yards just once this season, all the way back in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns. Through 12 games, Johnson has just 61 catches for 565 yards and zero touchdowns. His 58.1% catch rate would be the lowest of his career, by far.
Additionally, his 47.1 yards per game would be the lowest since his rookie season, when he averaged 42.5 yards. Overall, it's quite the fall from 2021, when he earned his first Pro Bowl appearance. His five drops this season already tie last season's mark, something he had improved upon. It seems as if Johnson has taken a step back and returned to the guy that he was early in his career. To be clear, that's still a very good WR, it's just not the No. 1 guy that many expected him to be and that he's being paid to be.
Johnson's frustration has also boiled over on multiple occasions this season as well. Back in Week 4 against the New York Jets, he got into an argument with Trubisky at halftime. Nowadays, rookie wideout George Pickens is just as much the No. 1 in this offense as Diontae Johnson is. Johnson's still getting open at a rate better than nearly every wide receiver in the NFL.
What are your thoughts on Johnson's performance this season? Has Pickens overtaken him as the team's No. 1 wide receiver? Will/should this be Johnson's last season in Pittsburgh? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!
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