Ben Roethlisberger raves about the growth of Diontae Johnson
Ben Roethlisberger has played with some great wide receivers throughout his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Big Ben” has never been one to dole out praise for the sake of looking like a good teammate, so his comments about the Steelers’ second-year weapon Dionte Johnson were telling.
He’s a phenomenal football player,” Roethlisberger said when asked about Johnson’s growth. “He’s a guy that is an incredible talent. I was very scared when he went down early on, luckily I think he will be okay. He’s one of those guys you get the ball in his hand and just sit back and watch it.”
Though Johnson only finished the game with 33 receiving yards, his 5-yard touchdown in the beginning of the fourth quarter gave the Steelers their first lead of the day and proved to be pivotal in securing the victory.
There’s no denying Johnson’s skilll, athleticism and concentration on this play.
Ben Roethlisberger details touchdown pass
Roethlisberger was asked about the specifics of the touchdown and continued to praise the Steelers’ young offensive weapon.
“We knew what the call was, I told him to be patient because sometimes he can get impatient with the double-move route,” Roethlisberger added with a grin. “He did. His ball skills are through the roof, the ball kind of got tipped up, and he was still able to see it. Just awesome.”
On a day where the Steelers offense was far from perfect, the former Toledo standout was a revelation. He was benched last season by Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin, but it appears, if healthy, the third-year pro is poised for an expanded role in the offense.
Johnson chimed in on his crucial touchdown pass that gave the Steelers their first lead of the game
“It was just really concentration,” Johnson said. “Just keeping my eyes on the ball throughout the whole play and just making the play. … We just thought someone had to make a play, and I just stepped up to help the team.”
Ben Roethlisberger already had two dynamic wideouts in JuJu Smith-Shuster and Chase Claypool, so if Johnson continues the upward trajectory, we are looking at one of the top pass-catching units in the NFL.