Last season was a mixed bag for all of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. With new quarterback Kenny Pickett running the offense, everyone took a step back statistically including wide receiver Diontae Johnson.
After catching 107 passes for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns in 2021, Johnson saw his numbers dip to 86 catches for 882 yards and zero receiving touchdowns in 2022.
Now, with a year under his belt, Pickett should be in a better position to push the ball downfield and the coaches should be more confident to allow this. However, the Steelers have other weapons in the passing game like George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth and Pickett has his work cut out for him distributing the football.
At the same time, the Steelers went for a run-heavy philosophy down the stretch last season and it worked. The front office has added even more help along the offensive line and could be in an attempt to be a run-first team.
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Story originally appeared on Steelers Wire