Steelers send WR Diontae Johnson to injured reserve with hamstring injury

Diontae Johnson won’t be back on the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers any time soon.

The Steelers officially sent the wide receiver to injured reserve with a hamstring injury Monday ahead of their Week 2 matchup with the Cleveland Browns. That means that Johnson will miss at least the next four games. At best, he’ll be able to return for their game against the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 22.

Johnson went down in the Steelers’ season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers last week. Johnson hauled in a 26-yard grab on their first drive of the second half at Acrisure Stadium, but he went down awkwardly as he was tackled. Almost immediately, Johnson reached for his right leg in pain. He was eventually helped off the field, and quickly ruled out for the rest of the game.

Johnson had 48 receiving yards on three catches when he went down.

Johnson had a team-high 882 receiving yards last season in Pittsburgh, though he failed to score a touchdown for the first time in his career. The 27-year-old racked up a career-high 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns during the 2021 campaign. He is in the first year of a two-year, $36 million extension with the team, who first selected him in the third round of the 2019 Draft.

The Steelers host the Browns on Monday night. Cleveland rolled over the Cincinnati Bengals in its season opener last week.

Running back Anthony McFarland was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury Monday afternoon, too. He had two catches for 11 yards against the 49ers. The 24-year-old is in his fourth season with the Steelers.