New Panthers WR believes he's 'a diamond in the rough'
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson.
The Panthers needed to continue surrounding second-year quarterback Bryce Young with as much talent as possible this offseason after a disappointing rookie campaign in which he threw just 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Carolina stumbled to an NFL-worst 2-15 recrod.
Carolina did just that by trading for veteran wide receiver Diontae Johnson in March and then selecting wide receiver Xavier Legette in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Young's new receivers should help him prove his early doubters wrong, but Johnson believes he must do the same at his second stop in the league.
"Like I'm a diamond in the rough, I'm just going to keep elevating, and I carry that chip wherever I go because I still get overlooked and (still) don't get the respect I deserve sometimes," Johnson said, via Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer. "So it just makes me go harder -- keep putting it on film, putting it in the league that I'm one of the best separators out there."
Johnson, a third-round pick by the Steelers in 2019, has had several ups and downs throughout his first five years in the NFL.
The 27-year-old has proven to be one of the best route runners and separators while registering 391 catches for 4,363 yards and 25 touchdowns in Pittsburgh.
However, he broke the record for the most catches in a season by a player without scoring a touchdown (86) in 2022 and has been criticized for having drop issues at times. That, paired with several wide receivers receiving big paydays this offseason, has Johnson more motivated than ever.
"It's crazy," Johnson said, via Anthony Rizzuti of USA Today. "Everybody getting all these big contracts — it just motivates me to keep working. God gonna give it to me when he ready, so I just gotta keep stacking days and not really worry."
Johnson is heading into the final year of his contract, but if he wants to earn new wide receiver money, he will need to take his game to another level this season.
Maybe together, Young and Johnson can help each other do just that in 2024.
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