In 2021, Diontae Johnson earned a Pro Bowl nod and looked on his way to ascending into the upper echelon of wideouts. However, his production dipped the past two seasons as the Pittsburgh Steelers offense struggled.
The 28-year-old wideout was traded to Carolina this offseason, where new Panthers coach Dave Canales has designs on making Johnson the offense's centerpiece.
"As we build our offense, we will really try to feature someone -- and for us right now, it's 'Where's Diontae Johnson at?'" Canales said, via The Associated Press.
"I liked to hear that," Johnson said. "Now it's up to me to run my routes and get open."
Canales noted he plans to move Johnson around the formation to keep him off defenders; at certain points during camp, the Panthers had the wideout lining up in the backfield. The coach isn't worried about defenses giving too much attention to Johnson.
"Tendencies are OK as long as you know you have them," Canales said. "The defense is going to be looking for someone and I think that opens everything else. So I think the patience of the quarterback going through progressions and finding the next guy, and I think the (other) receivers and tight ends will come alive after that."
One key to Johnson's getting back to the 1,000-yard plateau will be staying healthy. He missed Wednesday's practice with what Canales called a mild groin sprain, but the team doesn't believe the issue is serious.
Johnson owns the skills to be a go-to threat in Canales' offense. Even with the coach's persistence with the ground attack, his scheme saw two 1,000-plus yard wideouts last season in Tampa Bay -- Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
In Pittsburgh, the arrival of George Pickens took some of the targets away from Johnson. Coupled with a passing offense that rarely saw explosive plays the past two seasons, Johnson's production waned.
Now he enters the 2024 season as the clear No. 1 in a passing offense with Adam Thielen and first-round pick Xavier Legette. Former second-rounders Terrace Marshall Jr. and Jonathan Mingo -- from a previous regime -- have struggled to latch on early in their careers.
Trading for Johnson was a vital part of the plan to jumpstart quarterback Bryce Young's career after the quarterback struggled mightily as a rookie. After importing a QB-friendly coach and adding weapons, the Panthers believe they have the pieces to begin turning the ship around.
"I think he's going to surprise some people," Johnson said of Young. "I think this offense will surprise some people."
