Steelers' Diontae Johnson Apologized to Teammates for Lack of Effort vs. Bengals

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson apologized following a major gaffe in last week's 16-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

"That's not me as a player," Johnson told reporters on Wednesday. "One play doesn't define me, never will. I didn't come up playing football like that, so obviously it looks bad on film. From here on out, just going forward, just be smart, keep playing til the whistle blows."

During the first quarter, Steelers running back Jaylen Warren fumbled the ball, and despite it rolling into Johnson's vicinity, he made no effort to recover the fumble.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, Johnson was "very accountable" with teammates and coaches after the game, reportedly telling them he "zoned out" on the play due to frustration regarding the previous play, which saw him narrowly miss out on a touchdown catch.

Entering Sunday's home game against the Arizona Cardinals, Johnson and the Steelers are reportedly "in a good place."

"My teammates, they know how I feel and how I should go about the situation," Johnson told reporters. "Next time it occurs or whatever, I own up to it. I'm not perfect."

The incident involving Johnson in Sunday's game came one week after he and teammate Minkah Fitzpatrick reportedly had a disagreement following a 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Johnson and Fitzpatrick got into a "heated argument" in the locker room, which had to be broken up by defensive stars T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward.

Schefter added that Watt and Heyward addressed the team afterward and stressed the importance of sticking together.

Johnson reportedly had words with head coach Mike Tomlin and other coaches during and after the game due to his frustration from catching only two passes, which is what led to Fitzpatrick stepping in.

Although he missed four games due to injury, Johnson is third on the team in receptions with 30 and second in receiving yardage with 385, plus he has one of the seven receiving touchdowns the Steelers have scored as a team this season.

Johnson was named a Pro Bowler for the first time in 2021 when he set career highs with 107 receptions for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns, but his production dipped last season to 86 grabs for 882 yards and no touchdowns.

After getting injured in the Steelers' 2023 regular-season opener, Johnson missed a month of action and returned in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams.

Johnson was highly productive in his first three games back, averaging nearly seven catches for 85 yards in those games.

In three contests since then, Johnson has only one catch for 17 yards, two catches for 16 yards and four catches for 50 yards with no touchdowns.

The slight uptick in production last week came after the Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada and replaced him with Eddie Faulkner.

Pittsburgh is 28th in the NFL this season in scoring offense and has been out-scored as a team by a 205-182 margin, but they are still 7-4 and in playoff position in the AFC.

Johnson will look to put his recent issues behind him and help the Steelers solidify their playoff standing Sunday when they take on the 2-10 Cards.