Will Steelers WR Diontae Johnson play vs Bengals in Week 1?

Diontae Johnson still hasn’t fully recovered from the shoulder injury he suffered in the preseason finale. Will Steelers top receiver be available vs the Bengals?

The Pittsburgh Steelers released their first official injury report on Wednesday, and the results seemed pretty encouraging. Just two players showed up on the injury report, but both were still limited participants in practice. Normally, this is an excellent sign; however, the status of Diontae Johnson’s availability still seems to be up in the air.

Though Johnson was listed as a limited participant, photos from practice showed that he wasn’t in pads or working with the team in drills. When asked about his shoulder injury and his availability for Sunday’s contest, Johnson didn’t give the most encouraging response, via Joe Rutter of TribLIVE.

Fellow wide receiver, Chase Claypool, seems to be optimistic that Johnson will suit up this Sunday in Cincinnati, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. However, Johnson almost looks like a toss-up at this point. If he were to sit this one out and make his debut in Week 2, what would that mean for the rest of Pittsburgh’s pass-catchers in the Steelers matchup with the Bengals?

Steelers young weapons could see extended work vs Bengals

Johnson has eaten up a large percentage of Pittsburgh’s market share on offense over the past two seasons, so not having him could have huge implications on this game. If he were to be absent for this contest (or even if his snaps are limited), we could expect sizable roles from rookie WR George Pickens and second-year TE Pat Freiermuth in the passing game.

Pickens was spectacular all summer at training camp, and he continued to turn heads with his soft hands and body control during his first preseason. Even without considering Johnson’s shoulder injury, Pickens is listed as a starter on Pittsburgh’s first official depth chart and the 6’3” receiver should be able to carve out a sizeable role from the gate.

If Johnson doesn’t play, it’s entirely plausible that Pickens could lead the team in targets, as he would most likely be operating from the ‘X’ receiver position with Claypool reverting back to the ‘Z’ receiver — a role that he played last year.

Pat Freiermuth also stands to see an uptick in the passing game vs the Bengals if Johnson is unable to go. In two games against the Bengals last season, Freirmuth caught a touchdown in each contest. Though there has since been a change at quarterback, Mitch Trubisky could look in his direction in the red zone.

Obviously, we want to see Diontae Johnson healthy and ready to go this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, if his lingering shoulder injury keeps him out of this contest or the team limits his reps, I would expect Pickens and Freiermuth to have big roles this week. Keep a watchful eye on the injury report as the game approaches.