‘He can’t be covered up’: Ben Roethlisberger defends Diontae Johnson, says criticism undeserved

[ad_1]

After a rather disappointing season for his standard season in which he didn’t score a single touchdown on 147 targets, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson is facing a significant amount of criticism from the Black and gold.

Johnson, who signed a lucrative two-year, $36.71 million contract extension in early August ahead of the 2022 season, had 86 passes for 882 yards but failed to find the end zone during the year, setting a record in NFL history for most receptions. without hit.

The veteran receiver also had some issues with drops which were again greatly exaggerated and struggled with his emotions at times which led to some serious criticism from vocal members not just the fanbase, but also the media.

For former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who appeared on the 102.5 WDVE Morning Show on Thursday, the criticism Johnson has received in the past and is receiving now is unfounded.

“No, not at all,” Roethlisberger said when asked if there was any validity to the bust tag being thrown about Johnson. “You are frustrated. He was frustrated this year. I’m sure the fans are frustrated. He just signed a contract. You want big touchdowns and big plays. … Let’s give it a year. Because Diontae, it cannot be covered. When he goes in and out of breaks, it’s unstoppable.

“So you’ve got a guy who can use his sneakiness, get in and out of breaks, catch balls when you need to, and then you’ve got a guy in George [Pickens] who can stretch the court and seems to be able to catch any ball. Any 50-50 ball is his. So I don’t think there is any merit in what they say. He had the year down because he didn’t catch a touchdown. I expect a big rebound, and I think a lot of that comes from the relationship with Kenny [Pickett] and Diontae.

It’s understandable to see some of the criticism for Johnson just months after signing the big extension, making him the 17th-highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL at $18.355 million a year, according to OverTheCap.com.

In the first few months after overtime that begins for the 2023 season, Johnson struggled with the occasional pinfall, backed off after catches, argued in the locker room at halftime in the Week 4 loss to the New York Jets, and really wasn’t making the plays that many have grown accustomed to with Johnson.

To his credit though, he kept his head down, focused on being a good leader in a young wide reception room and really started to come alive once Kenny Pickett was slotted into the lineup. departure. The lack of touchdowns was a bit surprising, given his consistency over the past few seasons in finding the end zone.

It’s no secret that the attack suffered significant growing pains after Roethlisberger in 2022. Johnson also failed to find at least two balls in the end zone during the season, but calls to trade it or call it a bust are simply a bridge. too far right now with Johnson and as Roethlisberger says has no merit.

[ad_2]