Diontae Johnson’s career has been a rollercoaster ride. Here’s why the young wide receiver is a big question mark for the Steelers in 2021.
When Diontae Johnson is playing well, he’s hard to stop. Though he’s far from the biggest or fastest receiver in the game, he’s elite when it comes to getting quick separation out of his breaks and he is incredibly slippery with the ball in his hands.
However, he’s in a slump, he can be the most detrimental wide receiver in the NFL. Johnson witnesses a cringe-worthy 14 dropped passes last season – the highest drop rate in the NFL. That’s something that clearly needs to improve. Additionally, the young wide receiver has a whopping 7 fumbles in his first 31 NFL games. This is an unacceptable ratio and one that has cost the team greatly in the past.
So far, Johnson’s career has been a rollercoaster ride. We have seen both the good mixed in with the bad, and either has come on any given Sunday. So what should we expect out of Diontae Johnson in 2021?
Steelers WR has no choice but to improve in 2021
Two years is typically plenty of time to get a handle on things. When Diontae Johnson’s 2020 season started spiraling out of control, I’m surprised it took the Steelers as long as it did to bench him. While benching a player can certainly shake their confidence (especially when Johnson was already lacking this with his concentration drops), he was a necessary move.
As Johnson played less, other young players like James Washington and Chase Claypool stepped up to fill the void. While they don’t have the same level of shiftiness in their rout running or after the catch, they became reliable options for Ben Roethlisberger last year, and both could be trusted to reel in the ball.
With three other proven, quality young receivers on the team, Johnson needs the Steelers more than they need him. Though Pittsburgh clearly want him to take a big leap forward in 2021, it’s quite possible that he could be on a short leash considering the disaster that we witnessed last season.
Pittsburgh now has plenty of options they can turn to if Johnson continues to struggle with his consistency and hands. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chase Claypool, and James Washington aren’t the only players that can help in the passing game. Ben Roethlisberger will also be aided by players like Eric Ebron, Najee Harris, and Pat Freiermuth.
Obviously, we all hope Diontae Johnson rises to the occasion in 2021, and puts his past behind him this year. He is certainly the biggest question mark on the team this year.