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The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the most pleasant surprises of the 2024 NFL season. Pittsburgh is 7-2 heading into Week 11 and sits atop the AFC North with a slight lead over Baltimore. Both teams will face off in Week 11 in a game that could have massive ramifications for the division title later this season. It is already a big game, but it will mean a little something extra to one Ravens player.
Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson will play against his old teammates on the Steelers on Sunday. Baltimore media asked Johnson if he's talked with any of his former teammates this week. Johnson answered the question quite honestly.
“I talk to George [Pickens] a lot [and] Calvin [Austin III],” Johnson said on Tuesday via the team's official website. “Pretty much the offensive guys or defensive guys that I was close with [and] that I keep in touch with here and there.”
The Steelers traded Johnson to the Panthers back in the spring. Johnson played some of the regular season for Carolina before being traded to Baltimore before the NFL trade deadline.
When asked to elaborate further, Johnson began naming more Steelers players who he keeps in close contact with.
“I talk to T.J. Watt a little bit, Cam Heyward, George Pickens, Calvin Austin, Najee [Harris] a little bit, Cam Sutton – pretty much the guys that I was there with,” Johnson said. “We kind of have a good relationship, so I kind of keep in touch with everybody.”
Johnson has plenty of experience playing against guys like T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward in practice. Now he finally has a chance to play against them in a regular season game.
Sunday should be a special day for Diontae Johnson.
Steelers Mike Tomlin drops savage response to Diontae Johnson question
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin may have given Diontae Johnson a little something extra to play for on Sunday.
Tomlin seemed to dismiss Johnson's importance to the Ravens' offense during a recent interview.
“To be honest with you I hadn't thought a lot about it,” Mike Tomlin said, via 93.7 The Fan. “He's not on a lot of their video and so you know at this stage of the week I don't know that I've weighed you know what he might mean to the matchup. They've got more significant pieces with larger roles that occupy my attention at this part of the week.”
This answers sounds bad from a certain perspective. However, Tomlin is correct that there is not a whole lot of tape on Johnson during his time in Baltimore. He has been a non-factor early in his tenure with the Ravens, so it stands to reason that Tomlin does not know what to expect on Sunday.
Steelers fans should not be surprised to see a handful of plays designed to get Johnson the ball against his former team.
Steelers vs. Ravens kicks off at 1PM ET on Sunday in Pittsburgh.
