The Pittsburgh Steelers have kicked off NFL offseason OTAs, though there's been one very noticeable absence: wide receiver Diontae Johnson. A report emerged in April that Johnson, who is coming off the best season of his career, was seeking a new contract. The star wideout took to Twitter to dispute the report, though his absence from the team's voluntary workouts earlier- and now OTAs as well- is certainly noticeable. Fellow receiver Chase Claypool spoke about Johnson's absence on Thursday, per Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
“I know Diontae is grinding no matter where he is,” he said. “I know a lot of people are looking into it, but I’m not looking into it too much. He’s perfecting his craft, and he’s going to play.”
Claypool said that Johnson is “grinding no matter where he is.” The Steelers wideout acknowledged that his absence is a talking point right now in the NFL offseason but stressed that he's ‘not looking into it too much.”
It's certainly not ideal that Johnson is missing the chance to get valuable reps with new quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky and first round draft pick Kenny Pickett. However, Claypool- and the Steelers- don't seem to be making too big of a deal about his absence at the moment.
Johnson fully embraced the alpha receiver role last year, tallying career-highs in receptions, 107, yards, 1,161, and touchdowns, eight. Johnson- and Claypool- will be especially important now, given the uncertain situation at quarterback.
For now, the Steelers will have to settle for having just Claypool present at practice.
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