Injuries bump Johnny Holton from journeyman special teamer to Steelers No. 2 WR

CLEVELAND – More passes were thrown Johnny Holton’s way Thursday than had been in NFL regular season games over the prior 23 months combined.

But of the seven official targets from Mason Rudolph to Holton during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 21-7 loss to the Cleveland Browns, only one of them was completed.

“I got open, pretty much, and I know Mason will be making the right reads, so I guess he was coming to me because I was open, I guess,” Holton said. “I just have to make the plays for him when it counts.”

Two of the eight times Rudolph threw toward Holton yielded positive results: Holton drew a 38-yard pass interference penalty on Cleveland cornerback Greedy Williams during the third quarter, and an 18-yard reception in the fourth quarter.

With Ryan Switzer placed on injured reserve earlier in the day and JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson knocked out of Thursday’s game because of concussions, Holton joined James Washington and Tevin Jones as the lone receivers available to the Steelers as they attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter.

Rudolph threw to Holton six times during the fourth quarter; of the five incompletions, four were intended more than 15 yards downfield.

“I mean, we had JuJu and Diontae go down, so I had an opportunity to capitalize and they gave me chances out there,” Holton said. “I’ve got to get the job done.”

Holton has great straightline speed, but he has just 12 catches on 35 targets in 42 regular-season games over four NFL seasons, the first three of which were with the Raiders organization.

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