Of the wide receivers who started and finished the season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022, only Diontae Johnson had been there the year before. When Chase Claypool was shipped at the trade deadline to Chicago, Johnson became the lone holdover in a room full of wideouts who’d just been brought in that year.
Seemingly a relative introvert, it probably wasn’t the ideal situation for him, suddenly thrust into a role in which he’s expected to be the experienced veteran and vocal leader. He’s making a conscious effort of doing more of that now, which is one of the reasons he feels the room is stronger now.