Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson has entered the concussion protocol after his helmet-to-helmet hit from Cleveland Browns safety Damarious Randall on Thursday, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Johnson suffered the hit in the third quarter of an ugly rivalry game. Johnson reached his arms out to connect on a failed deep-ball attempt from Mason Rudolph, Randall came screaming in from mid-field, lowered his helmet and struck the rookie on his head. Johnson lay on the ground with blood dripping from his ear. He did not play the rest of the game, Randall was ejected but not suspended.
Randall's hit on Johnson was one against a defenseless player. It was unnecessary in every sense; nevertheless, he will be eligible to play moving forward. The expectation is that the NFL comes down with a hefty fine toward's Randall. Despite the dirty hit, Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens does not think Randall or his team was out of control, stating that helmet-to-helmet collisions happen all the time after the game.
Before suffering the concussion, Johnson had two receptions for 17 yards in the divisional tilt. On the year, the rookie hailing from Toledo has 32 receptions for 380 yards and three touchdowns. Quietly, the rookie was turning into a reliable option in the Pittsburgh offense before the injury.
Now in concussion protocol, Johnson's availability for the Steelers matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 24 is in doubt. Pittsburgh will be hosting the Browns in the next week, on Dec. 1, in what will be a game tied with emotions.
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