Steelers Rumors: Diontae Johnson says 'I'll play' after bye week
The Pittsburgh Steelers' stagnant offense has been pinned on several deserving blame candidates, from Matt Canada to Kenny Pickett. But, injuries play a factor too, especially when the team's top wideout has been sidelined for three weeks with a nagging hamstring injury.
Diontae Johnson hasn't seen the field since the Steelers' Week 2 victory over the Cleveland Browns, but the 27-year-old is ramping up with his sights set on a Week 7 return. The Steelers are currently on their buy week, with their return to action coming on Oct. 22 when the Los Angeles Rams play host.
"Hell yeah, I'm coming back," Johnson told Brooke Pryor of ESPN. "I've been working my behind off these last three, four weeks. Today was one of those days to see how far I've come along. Everything looked great out there to them. I feel completely great and healthy. I would say I'm ready for Monday when we come back to start getting back to work."
Johnson, who made the Pro Bowl in 2021, is in his fifth season with the Steelers. His numbers dipped slightly in 2022 due to a number of factors — QB change, coaching, the unknowable forces at work in the universe — but he still managed 86 catches on 147 targets for 882 yards. His iffy catch rate and zero touchdowns were points of concern, but there's no denying Johnson's value to the offense.
Pittsburgh has been unable to seriously move the ball down the field for the majority of the 2023 season. Johnson won't solve every problem, but he will alleviate the attention on other top pass-catchers like George Pickens while giving Pickett another familiar face to throw to. The Steelers will welcome him back with open arms.
Steelers Rumors: Insider petitions for Jaylen Warren to split touches with Najee Harris
A position battle is brewing in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers have been relatively content with Najee Harris as the undisputed RB1 since his explosive NFL debut in 2021. The first-round pick out of Alabama dominated his first season (381 touches, 1,667 yards from scrimmage, 10 touchdowns) and appeared well on his way to untouchable status.
Unfortunately, the perception of running backs has changed drastically, even over the last two years. And, to complicate matters further, Harris' productivity has been on a sharp decline. He has been an absolute ironman, starting in every possible game of his NFL career, but he doesn't pack the same punch he did a couple of years ago. The Steelers' usage of him reflects that.
Second-year RB Jaylen Warren has been a steady change-of-pace option behind Harris this season. He has rushed 34 times for 124 yards across five games. Harris has 63 rushes for 247 yards. The passing game has been a differentiator, however, as Warren has 21 receptions compared to Harris' five receptions.
Neither back has sniffed the end zone, but that's a byproduct of the offense as a whole more than it is an indictment on their respective abilities. Right now, the picture is easily painted: Harris gets more early-down and goal-line work, while Warren dominates later downs and offers more dynamism as a route-runner.
Ask Steelers columnist Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, however, and it's time to demote Harris in favor of the "more explosive" Warren.
Cook poses a rather sharp question: "Is it a reach to suggest the only reason Najee Harris plays more than Jaylen Warren is because Harris was a No. 1 draft choice and Warren was an undrafted free agent?"
No, it's not a reach. That's the way of the NFL a lot of the time, especially at the RB position. Time and time again, we see veteran RBs take precedence over younger options despite middling production.
In the case of Harris and Warren, it's probably more nuanced than Cook suggests. Warren may be "more explosive," but the numbers don't really back it up. Harris averages 3.9 yards per carry, Warren only averages 3.6 — neither is great, but Harris still has the edge despite a heftier workload. Warren gets more touches through the air (and therefore a comparable volume of touches overall), but there's nothing statistically to suggest he should get more burn in the run game. He's the change of pace, and that's fine.
Harris has not been very impressive this season (or even for long stretches of last season). He often feels like a product of volume more than anything else. Still, it's a little premature to say Warren should, beyond all doubt, take an equal split in the backfield.
Steelers Rumors: T.J. Watt injures finger against Ravens
T.J. Watt is the Steelers' best player. He's the lifeblood of a very good defense and he's arguably the frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year in the AFC. The 28-year-old linebacker is already responsible for eight sacks, 15 tackles, 15 QB hits, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and one defensive touchdown.
He grabbed two of those sacks and a fumble recovery in the Steelers' impressive win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, bringing Pittsburgh into a first-place tie in the division. The game ended with Watt scooping up the football and parading the Steelers' defense to an end zone photo op.
The Steelers would not be remotely as competitive without Watt anchoring the defense, which is why fans were understandably concerned when news of ligament damage surfaced on Tuesday. Fortunately for the Pittsburgh faithful, Watt is a tough dude and he has no intention of missing games unless it is absolutely necessary.
Watt dislocated a finger and tore "several" ligaments in Sunday's game. He popped the finger back in, kept playing, and now plans to being ready for the Steelers' Week 7 bout with the Rams. That's such a credit to Watt and a perfect encapsulation of him as a player and a person. He's competitive to the point of absurdity. No human in their right mind would continue playing football through such a gnarly injury, but Watt is a different beast.
If the Steelers can mount a competitive season despite the absolute crap-show happening on offense, Watt and his busted fingers will be a huge reason why.