Steelers HC Mike Tomlin stonewalls question on Diontae Johnson's future as Ravens cut $10,000,000 WR
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin wouldn't talk about the team possibly claiming Diontae Johnson off waivers, which comes amid some challenges in Pittsburgh. The Baltimore Ravens cut the recently acquired Johnson and he will soon be a free agent if he isn't claimed off waivers on Monday.
After the Ravens cut Johnson, it was reported that the Steelers, Los Angeles Chargers, and Kansas City Chiefs could all put in claims for him. When a reporter asked Tomlin about the possibility of bringing back Johnson, the coach shot the question down.
"I have nothing to add about someone who's not in our football team right now," Tomlin said.
With George Pickens hurt, adding Johnson back to the fold would make some sense. Johnson, who is making $10,000,000 in 2024, didn't mesh with the Ravens after being traded there in October.
Johnson began the year with the Carolina Panthers and he recorded 30 receptions for 357 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was traded to the Baltimore Ravens and a 2025 sixth-round pick for a 2025 fifth-round pick.
However, with Baltimore, Johnson had a limited role and refused to go back into a game he was pulled from when the Ravens took on the Eagles. The Ravens suspended and then waived Johnson, but all signs point to him being claimed by a playoff-bound team.
Mike Tomlin says Steelers' star receiver could return in Week 17
The Steelers have been without George Pickens for the past three games, but he could be on track to return on Christmas Day. Pickens hasn't played since December 1, but on Sunday, Tomlin said Pickens and other injured players have a good chance to play on Wednesday.
"Some guys that didn't play yesterday who have a real chance this week: Justin Fields, DeShon Elliott, Donte Jackson, George Pickens and Larry Ogunjobi all have an opportunity to play this week," Tomlin said Sunday, via ESPN. "But again, we'll see what the week leads us from their inclusion."
Pickens is the Steelers' top receiver and Tomlin says he changes Pittsburgh's offense.
"He is a splash playmaker," Tomlin said. "He's a one-on-one playmaker. Oftentimes he controls schematics which creates one-on-ones for others or a light box regarding the run, but that's what talented outside people do. Not only George, but anybody that has talented outside people like [Chiefs WR Xavier] Worthy will do some of the same things to us."
Pickens has caught 55 passes for 850 yards and 3 touchdowns. Pittsburgh's passing game has decreased significantly without Pickens, and the team has lost two of the three games he has missed, with back-to-back defeats coming against the Eagles and Ravens respectively.
The Steelers will host the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day in a huge game in the context of Pittsburgh's battle with Baltimore for the AFC North.