Panthers WR Diontae Johnson names one major difference after leaving Steelers
Diontae Johnson could have followed in the footsteps of Lynn Swann and Hines Ward - great Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers - in an alternate world. Alas, that was not to be, as he was surpassed by George Pickens, then traded to the Carolina Panthers this offseason, forming a solid corps with Adam Thielen, Jonathan Mingo and Xavier Legette.
So how does he find his new team? Speaking to Kay Adams on Up & Adams, the All-Pro and Pro Bowler said:
"I felt wanted, not saying that I didn't feel wanted in Pittsburgh, I just feel like they're wrapping their arms around me here. I'm excited. I couldn't ask for a better position to be in right now and just to have that leadership role and have the young guys look up to me and learn from me."
Diontae Johnson praises Panthers QB, new teammate Bryce Young
Feeding Diontae Johnson with the Panthers will be sophomore Bryce Young, who is eager to prove that his poor rookie season is well and truly behind him.
According to Sports Illustrated's Jacob Punturi, the first time the duo shared the field, it was not as good as expected:
"Johnson's failed to live up to those expectations in his first training camp with the team. Despite his ability to beat any defender one-on-one, he has a terribly bad habit of dropping catchable passes. Early into camp, the Panthers are experiencing this first-hand."
But Johnson subscribes to a different story. In that same interview, he said:
"We just click. Like, once I got here, we clicked instantly, like we've known each other for a long time - study the playbook, hang out a lot ... and then once you get on the field, the connection just happens. The sky's the limit for Bryce, and I'm out here to make him better."
Diontae Johnson continued:
"Bryce is our guy. He's still young, but he's still steadily growing each and every day. But you can't put stuff over his head just (because) the team didn't have a good year. There's a lot of stuff that goes into that."
The Panthers begin their preseason on August 8 at the New England Patriots. They begin their regular season at the New Orleans Saints a month later.