Diontae Johnson rejoins Steelers after short stint on covid list
Diontae Johnson is back on track to start Sunday for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
One day after he was placed on the reserve/covid list, Johnson cleared protocols and was activated to the 53-man roster.
Johnson is having a career year in his third NFL season. Heading into the season finale Sunday at Baltimore, Johnson leads the Steelers in receptions (100), receiving yards (1,110) and touchdowns (eight).
Johnson was able to return so quickly because the NFL relaxed its protocols for vaccinated players who were asymptomatic. That policy was implemented in mid-December.
In another roster move, the Steelers placed rookie inside linebacker Buddy Johnson on injured reserve with a foot injury that caused him to miss the previous three games.
The Steelers also made some transactions relating to their practice squad. Guard Nate Gilliams was re-signed to the practice squad, and wide receivers Rico Bussey and Damion Willis were released.
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.