Steelers' Diontae Johnson at ease as he puts touchdown-less streak, contract behind him

In multiple ways, Diontae Johnson reported to Pittsburgh Steelers training camp this year with a clean slate and a fresh perspective.

From a financial standpoint, he was unburdened by the contract negotiations that carried out through the first week of the 2022 training camp before he received a two-year extension.

From a productivity outlook, he has put the statistical anomaly of going an entire season without a touchdown in the rear-view mirror.

“It feels like a ton of weight off my shoulders,” Johnson said.

Entering his fifth NFL training camp, Johnson admittedly is at ease after securing his contract extension last August.

Minkah Fitzpatrick became the NFL’s highest-paid safety last June, and Chris Boswell received a new deal early in training camp. That left Johnson, who could have become a free agent after last season, as the last piece of the preseason financial puzzle.

Following in the footsteps of players such as T.J. Watt and Fitzpatrick, Johnson conducted a “hold-in” while awaiting a new deal, limiting his practice work to individual drills. The Steelers, though, held firm on their offer, and without seeing an end to the stalemate, Johnson agreed to a two-year extension that included a $17.5 million signing bonus and $27 million guaranteed.

“I don’t have to worry about that,” Johnson said last week. “I can just play. I don’t have to worry about the contract situation. It’s just football now, just getting ready for the season.”

When the season began, Johnson encountered another set of problems. The biggest was finding the end zone.

Johnson improbably went the entire 17-game season without scoring a touchdown. He set a dubious NFL record by being targeted 147 times and catching 86 passes without reaching the end zone.

As the streak snowballed, Johnson tried to downplay the frustration he was feeling inside.

“Every week I was like, ‘Dang, what am I not doing right? Is it me? Is it the defense (he was facing)?’ ” he said. “There was a lot of stuff going through my head. But I can only control what I can control. That was last year.”

Johnson was asked if he characterized his scoreless streak as a dose of bad luck.

“If you want to call it that,” he said. “Stuff doesn’t go your way sometimes. All I can do is keep playing.”

Touchdowns aside, Johnson’s stats went down in other areas. His receptions total was 21 fewer than he had in 2021 when he made the Pro Bowl with Ben Roethlisberger throwing the passes. His receiving yardage also dipped from 1,161 to 882, and his 10.3 yards per catch represented a career low.

All of that transpired with the Steelers starting the season with Mitch Trubisky at quarterback before transitioning to Kenny Pickett midway through the fourth game. The closest Johnson came to recording a 100-yard game was against Carolina with Trubisky under center because of a concussion to Pickett. Johnson had 10 catches for 98 yards that day.

Entering this season, Johnson will have the highest salary cap hit of any Steelers offensive player. That carries another set of expectations for Johnson to perform.

“I have no doubt in my mind that Diontae is going to be successful this year,” general manager Omar Khan said. “He’s a hard-working football player. He’s exciting to watch.”

This year, without a quarterback competition, Johnson thinks all of the Steelers receivers can benefit from knowing Pickett is the starter. Johnson spent time in Miami working out with Pickett in the offseason.

“We know who is going to be at quarterback now,” he said. “We don’t have to worry about that. We’ve got the same guys back. We did get some new guys, but we just added them. Everybody knows the playbook, and everybody is moving as one.”

That includes second-year receiver George Pickens, who emerged as a starting option as a rookie and caught 52 passes for 801 yards and four touchdowns. Johnson and Pickens form one of the youngest starting receiver duos in the NFL this year.

Pickens’ arrival has fueled a competition with Johnson to see who can be the most dynamic receiver.

“He pushes me a lot,” Pickens said. “It’s how I was raised. If he makes a play, I’m ready to make a one-handed catch. It’s ‘up it, up it, up it.’ That’s only going to make you better.”

Notes: Undrafted free agent running back Alfonzo Graham, who injured his shoulder in practice Saturday, said in a tweet Monday that he suffered a torn labrum and will miss the season. In a move that’s likely related,former Penn State running back John Lovett has signed with the Steelers, according to the XFL. Lovett had 496 yards from scrimmage in 10 games for the XFL’s Vegas Vipers this past season. He spent much of last year on the roster of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and played nine games for the Nittany Lions in 2021 after leaving Baylor.