Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, Diontae Johnson has faced a ton of criticism over the past few days. In the team's Week 12 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, he was shown giving minimal effort on a play in which Cincy recovered Jaylen Warren's fumble. It came immediately after he was unable to maintain control to the ground on a potential touchdown catch.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter / X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged that running back Jaylen Warren has to hold onto the football, as he had a costly fumble in the first half against the Bengals in Week 12.
After the game, Johnson told the media that he didn't exactly see what was going on and that he was busy blocking. That explanation wasn't good enough for fans or even former players, most notably Ryan Clark. It seems like it wasn't the response that Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin wanted to hear either. On Tuesday, Tomlin directly addressed it in his press conference and he expects Johnson to approach the media and his teammates regarding the situation.
"Diontae can't let the emotions of the previous down affect his next down. But I'll give him an opportunity to address that with you guys. I'll give him an opportunity to address that with his teammates. I'm not going to add any additional color. I think plays like that are best described and outlined by those involved and less so by guys like me... It's something that he needs to answer for, and so I'll give him an opportunity to do that. His teammates will give him an opportunity to do that, and I won't provide any color until he does."
Tomlin is essentially giving Johnson a second chance to properly answer the question. More so, he wants his veteran wideout to be accountable for the inexcusable effort that he gave on the play. As suspected, Tomlin believes it all derived from the frustration of the previous play. This has been a problem in the past with Johnson, and he's not done himself any favors recently.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter / X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers wideout Diontae Johnson has faced his fair share of criticism throughout his career, which has been full of ups and downs.
Amongst the fan base, it's left some questions on whether or not Pittsburgh could move on from him. It's something that Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette addressed on Monday, and it could become a real possibility. It seems as if Tomlin is growing tired of the recent antics, as he's had to deal with it with Johnson and George Pickens this season. For whatever reason, it's what comes with the wide receiver position.
Should The Steelers Move On From Johnson After The 2023 Season?
Tomlin held Warren accountable too, as he acknowledged that the running back has to take care of the football in those situations. From a possible touchdown, to giving the ball back to the Bengals empty handed, it created a massive shift in momentum. Thankfully, the Steelers were able to weather the storm and come from behind to beat their division rivals.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers running backs Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris have become one of the more formidable duos in the NFL in 2023, as they continue to each have success over the past few months.
Pittsburgh's backfield continues to be a near even split with Warren and Najee Harris. Harris enjoyed his best game of the season on Sunday, finishing with 99 rushing yards on just 15 carries and a touchdown. Most importantly, the rushing offense continues to rack up big plays, which was a critique of Harris' first two seasons with the team. It'll be interesting to see how Johnson does address the media, especially given the fact that he already answered to them on Sunday. We'll see if things boil over at all in the coming weeks.
What do you think of Tomlin's answer to this question on Tuesday? Do you think Johnson will face any sort of discipline from the team? What was your initial reaction when you saw the replay of Johnson's laziness? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!
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