The Pittsburgh Steelers won't just head into Week 3's tilt versus the San Francisco 49ers with new quarterback Mason Rudolph. The receiver corps is also getting a revised pecking order.
Rookie receiver Diontae Johnson told 93.7 The Fan's Josh Rowntree on Friday that coaches told him he's a starter "from here on out."
"I'm just trying to do what I can..." Johnson said. "Just trying to continue to show the coaches that I know what I'm doing, and get ready for Sunday."
The third-round pick out of Toledo played 25 snaps (48.1 percent) in the Week 2 loss after seeing 21 snaps (34.4 percent) in the season opener. Johnson generated four catches for 42 yards with a long of 17 in his first two games.
Moving Johnson into a bigger role comes as Donte Moncrief has struggled mightily with drops through two weeks.
With Johnson set to join the starters, he'll likely see more time on the outside along with James Washington, which should allow JuJu Smith-Schuster a bigger role out of the slot, where he's thrived throughout his career.
