Makeover of young Steelers offense will continue if Kenny Pickett remains starting QB

Diontae Johnson created a bit of a stir Sunday when he uttered a phrase that is frowned upon by his bosses in the Pittsburgh Steelers organization.

“It’s a rebuilding year.”

From team president Art Rooney II to coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers never admit they are in rebuilding mode. They aim to compete for a championship every season, and that approach might explain why the Steelers haven’t finished with a losing record since 2003.

But Johnson let the phrase leave his lips after a 24-20 loss to the New York Jets dropped the Steelers to 1-3 for the second year in a row.

Johnson clarified his statement Monday and said he was speaking about the offense and not the organization’s stance toward the rest of the season.

“I didn’t mean anything negative by it,” Johnson said Monday afternoon. “We have a lot of young guys, not a lot of older vets like my first three years in the league.”

Johnson referenced quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who retired after last season, and center Maurkice Pouncey, who hung up his cleats a year earlier.

“Those type of guys, we don’t have a lot of those vets,” he said. “It’s a rebuilding year. We’ve got a lot of young players. This is our first time playing with each other. We’ve got to get comfortable playing with each other. It wasn’t anything negative. It’s football. We have to build that chemistry, and it’s going to come along.”

Among skill position players, the Steelers are starting a rookie at wide receiver in George Pickens and three players in their second seasons: left tackle Dan Moore Jr., running back Najee Harris and tight end Pat Freiermuth. The offensive line includes two other players new to the system.

The average age of the offensive starters will trend younger if first-round pick Kenny Pickett continues to play ahead of veteran Mitch Trubisky at quarterback. Pickett relieved Trubisky after halftime Sunday and led the Steelers to their only two touchdowns of the game, which provided a 20-10 lead in the fourth quarter.

As of Monday afternoon, Tomlin hadn’t told his players whether Trubisky or Pickett will start Sunday at Buffalo, a game that begins a four-game stretch against opponents with a combined 12-4 record.

“It doesn’t matter,” Johnson said. “As long as we go out there and know our assignment and the quarterback knows what he’s doing and everybody is doing their jobs as one. It’s our job as receivers to go out there and make the quarterback look good whether it’s Kenny or Mitch. That’s our job, bottom line. That’s what we have to continue to do — show that, make more plays down the field and keep that spark and not have the defense on the field so much.”

Pickett completed 10 of 13 passes for 120 yards with all of his incompletions resulting in interceptions. He also scored on touchdown runs of 1 and 2 yards to invigorate an offense that managed two long field goals while Trubisky was in the game.

Pickett showed on his first series he wasn’t afraid to take chances. With the Steelers at midfield, his first attempt was a deep pass to Chase Claypool at the Jets 11. The ball was tipped and intercepted by safety Jordan Whitehead.

On the 12-play, 82-yard touchdown drive that ended with Pickett’s 2-yard score, he was comfortable targeting Pickens and Freiermuth, whose 18-yard reception was his third of the series.

“You don’t want to be held back on offense,” Freiermuth said. “You want to take shots and be the aggressor. With Kenny in there, we were able to be the aggressor. Obviously, some mistakes are going to happen, and there were tipped balls and stuff that happened. We’re going to continue to work past that and be there for Kenny since he’s a young guy.”

The offense didn’t have the same rhythm in the first half, although Trubisky may have bought more time for himself had Johnson gotten both feet in bounds on a potential touchdown pass that was ruled incomplete.

Under Trubisky, the Steelers scored four touchdowns on offense in three-plus games. He ranks No. 29 in the NFL in passing yards and No. 31 in passer rating.

“You never know what’s going in somebody’s head. It’s playing with confidence,” Johnson said. “Not saying he isn’t. I’m sure every time he goes out there, he’s playing with confidence and making sure he’s making the right decisions.

“Kenny has confidence as well. He’s going to throw interceptions. It’s football and how you respond. He responded by still being able to get us in the end zone. That’s the spark we needed.”

Trubisky was displeased by being benched after halftime, but Freiermuth doesn’t expect it to be a distraction if Tomlin decides to stick with Pickett at quarterback.

“He’s a professional. He understands what happens,” Freiermuth said. “He’s responded well. We voted him captain for a reason. He’s not going to just give up on the season or give up on us. He’s going to be there for us, and we expect him to be there.”