In what initially looked serious, receiver Diontae Johnson went down on a standard-issue tackle from Titans cornerback Malcolm Butler. After converting a critical third-down on one of the last plays of the Steelers’ final drive, he laid there for a solid minute with his hands on his helmet.
Trainers came out, head coach Mike Tomlin hovered. Players stood by, and Ben Roethlisberger kneeled to check on him. We all know what happened last time Ben did that — Zach Banner had an ACL tear.
Thankfully, the second-year receiver walked off the field under his own power, and the news was positive Tuesday.
Tomlin did not name Diontae when he provided a synopsis of injuries in his weekly press conference.
And Johnson told the Pittsburgh media on Tuesday what we all wanted to hear — that he’s alright. “It was just a little ankle bruise or whatnot, but nothing going to keep me out of the game.”
But a back injury kept Diontae out of the game in Week 6, and he exited the Texans matchup in the first quarter after sustaining a concussion.
It was revealed in the offseason that Johnson played much of his rookie season with a groin injury, so he’s clearly a resilient athlete. He had surgery in February for the injury he suffered in Week 2.
This season, Johnson has been battling a toe injury since training camp.
The team and Diontae are lucky it’s merely an ankle bruise. He and Ben are just starting to gel, as evidenced by two scores on Sunday. Missing any more time than he already has would be detrimental to that progress.
So far, Johnson is projected to play and that’s huge. Pittsburgh will need all the weapons it can get versus the Ravens.
