PITTSBURGH — Diontae Johnson is still working back from the shoulder injury he suffered against the Lions a week ago. During the game, Johnson caught a deep pass along the sideline from Mitch Trubisky, but landed on his shoulder hard. It caused Johnson to exit the game, but head coach Mike Tomlin believes the injury is not too serious.
On Monday, he worked off to the side away from the rest of the wide receivers during individual drills. The receivers ran routes while Johnson took it lightly and worked out his shoulder. Still, if the injury is believed to be minor, there should be little to no reason that Diontae Johnson should not suit up for the Steelers on Sunday against the Bengals.
As of now, Johnson is not quite ready to return to the field, but he could easily ramp up as the season continues to go along. If he does not end up playing in a worst-case scenario, Chase Claypool could get more work on the outside while players like Gunner Olszewski and Steven Sims work inside.
The Steelers will likely plan for that just in case, though Johnson is expected to practice more as the week leading up to Sunday continues.