Diontae Johnson was able to shine in his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019, but he didn't have much of a chance to catch passes from Ben Roethlisberger. As he prepares for his second season with the Steelers, Johnson opened up about working with Roethlisberger this offseason.
While speaking about the upcoming season with The Athletic's Mark Kaboly, Johnson highlighted how he's begun building chemistry with Roethlisberger:
“Just being able to work out with him this offseason has been good,” said Johnson, who was targeted six times by Roethlisberger in six quarters in 2019, resulting in three catches and 25 yards. “Just trying to get the timing down and get a feel for him. What he likes and what he doesn’t like and how he likes to throw the ball on a certain play and certain routes. Just trying to pick his brain. Just getting our timing down and trying to get our bond with each other so we can build that trust together.”
In his debut season, Johnson finished with 59 receptions for 680 yards and five touchdowns. Due to Roethlisberger's season-ending elbow injury in Week 2, Johnson caught just three passes for 25 yards from the veteran signal-caller. Provided that, the second-year wideout is eager to get on the same page as Roethlisberger in 2020.
Earlier this offseason, Johnson made a bold claim that the Steelers possess the best receiving corps in the NFL. Besides Johnson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington, and rookie Chase Claypool are expected to make contributions.
With that being said, if Johnson can build a rapport with Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh's passing attack could make them contenders in the AFC North.
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