Diontae Johnson won’t be back on the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers anytime soon.
The Steelers officially sent the wide receiver to injured reserve with a hamstring injury on Monday ahead of their Week 2 matchup with the Cleveland Browns. That means Johnson will miss at least the next four games. At best, he could return for their game against the Los Angeles Rams on October 22.
Johnson went down last week in the Steelers’ season opener against the San Francisco 49ers. Johnson hauled in a 26-yard grab on their first drive of the second half at Acrisure Stadium, but he went down awkwardly when tackled. Almost immediately, Johnson reached for his right leg in pain. He was eventually helped off the field and was soon ruled out for the remainder of the match.
Johnson had 48 receiving yards on three catches when he went down.
Johnson had a team-high 882 receiving yards last season in Pittsburgh, though he failed to score a touchdown for the first time in his career. The 27-year-old racked up a career-high of 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns during the 2021 season. He is in the first year of a two-year, $36 million extension with the team, which first selected him in the third round of the 2019 Draft.
The Steelers host the Browns on Monday night. Cleveland rolled past the Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener last week.
Running back Anthony McFarland was also placed on injured reserve Monday afternoon due to a knee injury. He had two catches for 11 yards against the 49ers. The 24-year-old is in his fourth season with the Steelers.
