The Pittsburgh Steelers have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to offensive talent.
Not only do they have a young emerging quarterback in Kenny Pickett, but they have youngsters like Najee Harris, George Pickens, and Pat Freiermuth at their disposal, as well as four-year NFL veteran Diontae Johnson.
Although Johnson has put together a superb career in his first four seasons, he made headlines for one of the most bizarre storylines of the 2022 NFL season.
A crazy stat: Steelers WR Diontae Johnson had 86 catches this season, but no touchdowns.
That's now the most catches by a player in a single season in NFL history without scoring a TD.
An awesome player with bad luck this season.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 9, 2023
Johnson had 86 receptions this season, but somehow, was unable to make his way into the end zone.
In his three previous seasons, Johnson had five, seven, and eight touchdowns, respectively.
For whatever reason, the end zone eluded him this year.
While there are many reasons for why this could be, a bit part of it is the lack of overall passing touchdowns for the Steelers on the season.
They only had 12 touchdowns through the air this season, their lowest in Johnson’s four years with the team.
Johnson’s lack of touchdowns might seem concerning to some, but because of the Steelers’ overall touchdown decline, it’s not surprising.
Assuming the Steelers get closer to 20-25 overall passing touchdowns in 2023, Johnson’s numbers should increase as a result.
Johnson has consistently found himself in the top 20 of the league’s pass catchers in terms of receptions.
We’re anticipating more receptions for him in 2023, which in turn, should lead to more touchdowns.
The Steelers showed that they can win with Pickett, and look to turn their season around in 2023 as well, and Johnson looks to be a big part of that.
NEXT: Kenny Pickett Shared Heartfelt Words On Damar Hamlin