Steelers 2021 rookie stock report heading into Week 2

Steelers Buddy Johnson

Stock Even

There wasn’t really a lot to say about Buddy Johnson’s game in Week 1. The rookie linebacker did end up earning a helmet, but he has very little to show for it. He only played 13 total snaps on the day, and all of them are on special teams. He failed to record a tackle or make any sort of a significant play there, though.

His stock remains even because honestly, that was the expectation. Johnson wasn’t going to be the first man off the bench at inside linebacker on defense likely, and his path to playing time right now is through special teams. While he didn’t make an impact there, the only players who did really were Miles Killebrew and Ulysees Gilbert, as the former blocked a punt and the latter returned it for a score.

Moving forward, Johnson will have to start getting noticed on special teams to push his stock up a little. As well, a few more no-shows in the stat sheet will lead to his stock dipping.

That all said, unless a significant injury occurs, it seems as though Johnson’s rookie season will be spent running down kicks and punts.