Diontae Johnson describes his injury as frustrating while awaiting a timetable. Diontae Johnson, a wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, says he remains optimistic and level-headed despite an uncertain timeline for his return from a hamstring injury.
Johnson stated on Thursday that no judgment has been made regarding his placement on injured reserve. “This is my first game, and I didn’t get to do what I wanted. It’s disheartening.
“Yet simultaneously, my teammates and my son keep me motivated. I cannot simply be in a bad temper; that will not improve the situation. All I can do is keep being a leader from our group, just coming in with a positive energy or a smile on my face, and just keep attacking this rehab.”
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Johnson was injured early in the third quarter on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers as he attempted to cut after gaining 26 yards and a first down. Tuesday, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Johnson is anticipated to miss “a few weeks.”
“I’ve just planted my foot in the ground,” said Johnson. “Fluke incident, it simply failed on me. Nothing can be done about it.”
Johnson reported having no hamstring issues during the preseason and leaving training camp in good health.
According to head coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers will likely be without wide receiver Calvin Johnson for Monday night’s game against the Cleveland Browns. As a result, second-year wideout Calvin Austin III could play a more significant role in the offense. Austin, who sat out his rookie year due to a foot injury, collected all six targets for 37 yards in his NFL debut. Despite being a smaller receiver at 5-foot-9 and 162 pounds, Austin spent most of his time on the perimeter, running 23 routes and receiving five passes from the wideout position compared to only four courses in the slot.
According to Johnson, Austin is intelligent, so he understands what he’s doing. “He is very familiar with the playbook, so when he steps onto the field, it’s not as if he has never seen the formation or heard the play call. Since we’ve been doing this since training camp, I’m confident he’ll be very secure out there.”
