Steelers vs Bengals injury update: Diontae Johnson’s status up in the air

Participation will determine availability for Diontae Johnson this week.

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There are few offenses in the NFL as potent as the Cincinnati Bengals. So when the Pittsburgh Steelers square off against them on Sunday, the Pittsburgh offense has be as close to full strength as possible.

So this is a concern with starting wide receiver Diontae Johnson dealing with a shoulder injury that appears to be worse than the team had been letting on. Head coach Mike Tomlin played it very close to the vest when asked about it and simply said to keep an eye on the injury report.

This came as something of a surprise because Tomlin hadn’t given any indication the injury was serious at all. Johnson injured his shoulder in the team’s final preseason game when he laid out for a deep throw.

After finding out the Steelers didn’t fully disclose the extend of running back Najee Harris’ injury, it’s no surprise to just be finding out Johnson was hurt worse than expected. If Johnson cannot go, look for an expanded role for rookie George Pickens in the offense.

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