3rd-down catches lifting Steelers’ Diontae Johnson back to top tier of NFL receivers

When Diontae Johnson was not participating in team drills this past summer while awaiting a contract extension, it was a tacit signal that he believed he was among the NFL’s best wide receivers.

And despite not playing up to those expectations during the first half of this season, Johnson has looked increasingly like a legitimate WR1 in recent weeks for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Over the Steelers’ seven games since their bye week, Johnson has 39 catches on 53 targets for a 73.6% catch rate that, extrapolated over a full season, would be among the top 10 for NFL receivers. Over the past three games, Johnson has caught 21 of the 25 passes thrown his way for an 84% catch percentage that would lead the NFL over the full 2022 season.

“It’s just me being in that leadership role,” Johnson said. “I’ve gotta make those catches no matter what, and I put a lot of pressure on myself, too. And at the same time, I’m supposed to make those plays, those catches. I’m just continuing to do what I do. Nothing’s changed.”

On the heels of signing a two-year, $36.7 million contract extension in August that followed a “hold in” during organized team activities, mandatory minicamp and the first week-plus of training camp, Johnson did not provide commensurate production over the Steelers’ first eight games.

Johnson had more than 60 receiving yards just once in that span, had no catches of more than 25 yards and went five games without surpassing five catches headed into the bye week. He also struggled at times with drops.

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Since the bye, though, Johnson gradually has re-emerged. His game still has significant glaring warts: He remains without a touchdown, and his average yards after catch (YAC) ranks near the bottom of the NFL. But a new advanced metric developed by ESPN and FiveThirtyEight.com rates Johnson as tied for the fourth-best overall and third best at getting open of the 107 receivers who are rated.

Perhaps during no game was Johnson better at getting open — particularly during what coach Mike Tomlin would call “those weighty moments” — than in the Dec. 18 win at Carolina. Johnson caught all 10 of his targets, gaining 98 yards. Five of those catches were on third downs and resulted in first downs.

“It’s a combination of him running good routes and being in the right spot at the right time,” quarterback Mitch Trubisky said. “It was just one of those weeks where I was finding him on third down, and I don’t know if it was a coincidence or not, but he had a great week of practice, and I was just finding him in the game.”

What might not have been a coincidence is Johnson has produced better when Trubisky has been at quarterback. In the five games Trubisky has played more than a half, Johnson has 37 catches for 374 yards. In the other 10 games — ones in which Kenny Pickett played at least one full half — Johnson has 45 catches for 435 yards.

Pickett, in part, attributes that to chemistry that hasn’t yet developed. While taking second-team reps as a rookie during this training camp, he did not have much opportunity to work with Johnson.

“The more reps you get with a guy, the more comfortable you feel,” Pickett said. “And (Trubisky) does a great job of working with me on the side and helping with those guys. So I feel great every time I walk out there that (Johnson) will be where I need him to be.”

Diontae Johnson pic.twitter.com/mOcR68KdLL

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) December 28, 2022

That’s been especially been the case recently, when Johnson has the sixth-most catches among NFL wide receivers over the past three weeks and is rated as the third-best receiver by Pro Football Focus.

Three of Johnson’s receptions the past three games have gained first downs on plays that were third downs of 7 yards or more. Johnson has five such receptions this season. Only 15 players across the league have more.

All in all, Johnson appears to at last be putting his much-publicized case of the “drops” behind him.

“I’m just focusing a little better, trying not to turn up the field without looking it all the way in,” he said.

Johnson cited a ball thrown his way while he was running open over the middle late in the third quarter during this past week’s win against Las Vegas.

“I should’ve made that,” he said, “but stuff like that is going to happen. I can’t let that get me down and stop that from making more plays. I was able to bounce back and had another catch after that. Stuff like that, that’s what keeps me going, that’s what drives me and pushes me to keep getting better.”

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