Kenny Pickett says it's 'awesome' to have Diontae Johnson back
The Pittsburgh Steelers will receive a much-needed boost on offense this weekend as wide receiver Diontae Johnson returns from injury.
Johnson has been on the injured reserve since the start of the season following a hamstring injury suffered in Week 1 versus the San Francisco 49ers. But he’s set to make a return this weekend as the Steelers visit the Los Angeles Rams, which his quarterback Kenny Pickett couldn’t be more excited about.
“[Johnson brings] his experience and route running and understanding of our offense and what we want to do,” Pickett said. “You know, I feel like another guy that if he’s one 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.”
Johnson’s absence has definitely been felt in Pittsburgh’s offense, which has struggled scoring and passing the ball this season. Their 187.8 passing yards per game ranks sixth worst in the league, and only two other teams score less than their 15.8 points per game.
Johnson has led the Steelers in receiving yards in his last three seasons with the team with 343 receptions for 3,694 yards and 20 touchdowns, and will definitely be looked at by Pickett this Sunday to continue adding to that total.
“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.”
The absence of Johnson has allowed second-year wide receiver George Pickens to emerge, becoming Pickett’s top target this season with 22 catches for 393 and two scores. Pickett also addressed having both of his top wideouts back in the lineup and the positive impact it can have on the offense moving forward.
“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.”
The Steelers and Rams kick off this Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET in a matchup airing on FOX.