Steelers Insider Expressed Worry Pittsburgh Is Breeding Shameful Antonio Brown Type Receivers

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, Diontae Johnson has been drawing a lot of criticism this season for his behavior. He's been seen expressing his frustration on the sidelines and he nearly came to blows with a teammate in the locker room. Most recently, he watched an opponent recover a fumble while he stood by obliviously. On top of the concerning behaviors, he is also not producing at the kind of level that allows a player to be a bit of a "diva." Now one Steelers insider is expressing concerns that Pittsburgh is dealing with another budding Antonio Brown.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and long-time Steelers reporter, Gerry Dulac recently shared his concerns over the path that Johnson is on. Dulac wrote that the organization is dismissing these behaviors, rather than dealing with them seriously. Dulac noted that there is a little bit of "diva" in pretty much every receiver in the NFL. They all want the ball thrown to them and believe they can single-handedly save thier team or win the game. 

Some receivers take the whole diva persona too far. One of them is Brown, and Dulac is concerned that is the path that Johnson is on based on his recent behaviors. Dulac feels that Johnson and fellow teammate, George Pickens are more worried about fighting for the spotlight with their disruptive behavior than balls. The recent fumble incident was the final straw. During the Steelers' Week 12 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Johnson was unable to reel in a ball and maintain possession in the end zone for a touchdown. 

Johnson was clearly frustrated with the drop, the referee's decision, or Head Coach Mike Tomlin's failure to throw the challenge flag. It appeared that he checked out after that because on the very next play, running back Jaylen Warren fumbled the football right in front of Johnson. Not only did Johnson not move toward the ball, he didn't even react as the Bengals recovered it right in front of him.  

Dulac reminded readers of some of Johnson's other actions and that this isn't new behavior. That included the argument after the Week 11 loss to the Cleveland Browns with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The two had to be broken up by Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt. Johnson also caused a halftime dispute with backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky during the Week 4 game against the New York Jets last season. Most concerning for Dulac seems to be the consequences, or lack of, for his actions. 

"For his most recent dalliance, Johnson was sentenced to appear before a tribunal of his teammates to apologize, later publicly vowing to never let it happen again - which, of course, remains to be seen," wrote Dulac.

If something isn't done to break this cycle, Dulac is concerned that Johnson or Pickens could end up like Brown. While he puts more of the behaviors on Johnson, he mentions alarming behaviors from Pickens as well. Pickens acted immature and pouted on several occasions, including when he didn't celebrate Johnson's first touchdown catch in 22 games, instead he slunk back to the sideline, angry about not being targeted.  

Despite seeing signs of Johnson's diva-like behavior before the 2023 season, there were also more hopeful, more mature signs of the leader everyone hoped he would be. During the Steelers' win over the Atlanta Falcons last season, Pickens was visibly upset over not being targeted. Johnson showed potential to be a solid mentor by offering counsel to Pickens on the bench between plays. 

Steelers' Diontae Johnson Isn't Quite An Antonio Brown Level Diva Yet

While Johnson might be on the path to being like Brown, Dulac also pointed out that neither Pickens nor Johnson have displayed the deplorable behavior that Brown did. According to Dulac, while they might be on the way, they don't belong in Brown's class quite yet. 

"Brown took selfishness and narcissism to a whole new level that went beyond screaming for the ball (even the mild-mannered Heath Miller once told him to 'shut the **** up' in the huddle), knocking over Gatorade cups and slapping away the hand of Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley on the sidelines. He deliberately ran wrong routes, made a habit of skipping meetings, stormed out of practice after cursing and throwing the ball at Ben Roethlisberger, and refused to return phone calls from Mike Tomlin."

Those acts of insubordination led to the Steelers being willing to trade Brown, who was by all counts an exceptional receiver, to the then-Oakland Raiders. Brown bounced around a few organizations and even won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he was never the same dynamic receiver he had been in Pittsburgh. 

The Steelers have a way of working with wide receivers to develop their talent and tap into their potential. It has earned them the nickname "Wide Receiver U." While Tomlin is generally able to keep his players in line, there is concern among fans and the media that he is not taking Johnson's behavior seriously enough. On the flip side, there is also the concern that benching Johnson only hurts this already inconsistent offense. Only time will tell if Johnson, and Pickens, can button up and become positive forces and exceptional teammates before they fall down the Brown rabbit hole and can't get out. 

What do you think of Johnson's behavior? Do you think Tomlin should have done more than require Johnson to apologize to his team? Click to comment below! 

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