Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson (18) appeals for a flag after a play in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 12 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023. The Steelers took a 16-10 win over the Bengals in Cincinnati. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Should Steelers discipline WR Diontae Johnson?

By Aaron Becker | Last updated 11/27/23

The Steelers finally topped 400 yards of offense in their Week 12 win against the Bengals. However, one of their players seemed to have a clear lack of effort on Sunday, which has some believing he should face some sort of discipline.

Wide receiver Diontae Johnson didn't look like he wanted to be on the field during a play late in the first quarter. It was a run play by RB Jaylen Warren that resulted in a fumble, but instead of jumping on it, Johnson is seen walking to the sideline.

I can’t stop watching Johnson on this play. There’s a fumble right in front of him. And he can’t be bothered to go after the ball. Must be addressed. pic.twitter.com/5lpdQZzyPx
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) November 26, 2023

It stopped what looked to be a promising drive by Pittsburgh's offense, and to make matters worse, he dropped a touchdown on the previous play.

Luckily for Johnson, the Steelers won the game, or he would surely be facing even more criticism from those outside the team.

It certainly wasn't Johnson's best showing of his five-year career and it comes a week after he reportedly "got into a heated post-game locker-room argument" with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick where he had to be broken up by DT Cameron Heyward and LB T.J. Watt.

Johnson told reporters that he didn't see Warren's fumble and that the media was making too much of his post-game remarks last week.

But either way, something must be done about his lazy play on the field and disruptive behavior off it.

Right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor got benched in Week 8 for "acting out" and it's safe to say that Johnson's antics are similar or worse.

It's unlikely Pittsburgh would bench Johnson, who has 30 catches for 385 yards and a touchdown on the season, as the depth behind him isn't ideal. But head coach Mike Tomlin must have a conversation with Johnson, at the least, to understand his recent actions.

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