5 best Pittsburgh Steelers players through the first quarter of 2021 season
By Tommy Jaggi
3. Steelers WR Diontae Johnson
Diontae Johnson was probably the single-most frustrating player to watch in a Steelers uniform in 2020. At times, the slippery wide receiver would make a remarkable play down the field or shake three defenders on a brilliant catch-and-run. However, the next moment, he would drop a key third-down pass.
After leading the NFL with 13 drops last year, Johnson’s hands have been perfect this season — not dropping a single catchable target on 35 opportunities. Sadly, Johnson’s major strides this year have been masked by the dreadful play of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
As a result, Johnson is on pace for just 990 yards in a 17-game schedule. With a higher quality of targets coming in his direction, this would have been a career year for Johnson — possibly even one that elevate him to true WR1 status.
Regardless, Johnson is probably the best overall offensive player the Steelers have right now, and he’s looking like one this team is going to want to keep around for the long haul. He’s been one of the very few bright spots on Pittsburgh’s offense early in the season.