Diontae Johnson vows to work to rehab injury, support Steelers WR corps

In the two or three days immediately after suffering a hamstring injury during Sunday’s regular-season opener, Diontae Johnson was in pain and had a difficult time walking.

Since the Pittsburgh Steelers returned to practice, though, Johnson has joined his teammates on the fields at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Donning his practice jersey and other regular practice garb, Johnson, over the past two days, has caught balls and huddled with teammates to offer whatever he can.

“Just trying to be around, be around the facility,” Johnson said before Thursday’s practice. “I am not going to try to just stay away from the facility because I’m injured.

“My presence out there means a lot to those guys. I just want to continue to be around the team and keep my spirits up and fight to get back as soon as possible.”

Diontae Johnson on the offense without him in Week 2

He said his hammy was painful and he couldn’t walk the first 48 hrs but now he’s doing some light running at practice. No timetable tho for his rehab. No wrap or anything on his leg. Says he will stay around the team. pic.twitter.com/zNJWC1dzY4

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) September 14, 2023

Johnson did not elaborate on the severity of his injury, which is expected to keep him out for multiple games and likely will lead to a stint on the injured reserve list.

“Just taking it one day at a time,” Johnson said. “I don’t have any timeline.”

Johnson said there were no warning signs during training camp in regards to injury or that he might be favoring his hamstring.

“I was healthy,” Johnson said. “I was feeling good out there, felt nothing bothering me. I just put my foot in the ground and a fluke injury. Hammy just gave out on me. I can’t do nothing about that.”

Johnson said he plans to follow whatever medical protocol is asked of him to allow his hamstring to heal so he can return to action. The absence of Johnson, the Steelers’ leader in receptions each of the past two seasons who is at the start of a two-year contract extension signed last summer, is a blow to an offense that managed only seven points in its first 2023 game, a loss to the San Francisco 49ers, including zero in the second half after Johnson suffered his injury on the Steelers’ first offensive play of the third quarter.

“It’s frustrating,” Johnson said of taking rehab slowly, “because you do all this running and cutting and put all this strain on your muscles, so it’s just really staying on top of your body, hydrating, getting the right treatment before and after practice, just stuff like that. You are going to have (injuries) that pop up. It’s what you do to recover from them and get back on the field.”

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