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Pittsburgh Steelers second-year wide receiver Diontae Johnson impressed in his rookie season despite the fact the Steelers were without their starting quarterback.
Johnson—a third-round pick out of Toledo—caught 59 passes for 680 yards and five touchdowns, and the Steelers are high on Johnson's upside heading into his sophomore campaign.
For his part, Johnson is excited to have Ben Roethlisberger back under center.
Diontae Johnson is very excited to get to catch passes from Ben Roethlisberger – something he rarely has had a chance to do yet in the pros pic.twitter.com/4QPuxJGxrF
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) May 27, 2020
Johnson commented on his time spent with Roethlisberger this offseason, saying the two are still getting a “feel” for one another (via Allison Koehler of USA TODAY):
Article Continues Below“Just being able to work out with him, it’s been good,” said Johnson earlier this year. “Just trying to get timing down and get a feel for what he likes and what he doesn’t like and how he likes to throw the ball, certain plays, certain routes, just try to pick his brain. I might go back up there next week and work out with him again, just getting that timing down and try to get a bond with each other so we can build that trust together.”
The 24-year-old also said the entire organization is excited to have Roethlisberger returning to the fold as the Steelers hope to contend for a Super Bowl in 2020 (h/t Koehler):
“Everyone wants to play for Ben. He is our leader. He is our quarterback, so everybody’s locked in.”
Roethlisberger missed all but two games last year due to an elbow injury (which required surgery), but takes over for a Pittsburgh team that still managed an 8-8 record in spite of his absence.
The Steelers have one of the top defenses in football, and might indeed contend for a Super Bowl if Roethlisberger can establish a strong rapport with youngsters like Johnson.
