Steelers' Diontae Johnson Activated, Pat Freiermuth Put on IR with Hamstring Injury

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced Saturday that they activated wide receiver Diontae Johnson from injured reserve and placed tight end Pat Freiermuth on IR.

Johnson suffered a hamstring injury in Week 1 and missed the Steelers' next four games, but he was designated to return to practice this week and is now eligible to play Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.

Freiermuth is dealing with a hamstring ailment that caused him to miss Pittsburgh's 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago before the team went on the bye.

By going on IR, Freiermuth must now miss a minimum of four games.

Originally a third-round pick out of Toledo in 2019, Johnson has been Pittsburgh's best and most consistent wideout over the past few years.

He broke out in 2020 with 88 receptions for 923 yards and seven touchdowns, all of which were career highs at the time, and he topped those numbers in 2021 with 107 catches for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns en route to his first Pro Bowl selection.

Last season, Johnson had 86 receptions for 882 yards, but curiously didn't find the end zone. His struggles in that regard can perhaps be attributed to the fact that the Steelers were developing a rookie quarterback in Kenny Pickett.

In the 2023 season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Johnson had three receptions for 48 yards before exiting with the hamstring injury.

Johnson's return gives the Steelers a far stronger receiving corps, as it slides second-year man George Pickens into the No. 2 role, and both Calvin Austin III and Allen Robinson into a battle for the No. 3 role.

At tight end, Freiermuth is a potentially huge loss, as the 2021 second-round pick scored seven touchdowns as a rookie and was a significant part of the passing game last season, catching 63 passes for 732 yards and two scores.

So far this season, Freiermuth has struggled to get going with just eight catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns in four games.

The top two candidates to step up at tight end during Freiermuth's absence are rookie Darnell Washington and second-year man Connor Heyward.

Washington has just one catch for 10 yards this season since he is more of a blocking tight end, while Heyward has five receptions for 42 yards and is likely to be the top receiving threat at tight end until Freiermuth returns.