Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers are keeping five receivers on their initial 53-man roster. Despite reeling in a preseason touchdown, Brandon Johnson isn’t one of them.
Johnson was waived injured on Tuesday, meaning he’ll land on the Steelers’ injured reserve list if he clears waivers. In that case, he’d be on the injured reserve for the entire season without being able to return. Typically, if a player’s ailment isn’t season-ending, the two sides will reach an injury settlement.
The Steelers, meanwhile, are rolling with DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, Ben Skowronek and Scotty Miller as they approach their Week 1 matchup with the New York Jets on Sept. 7.
Johnson was signed to the Steelers’ practice squad last season after spending two seasons with the Denver Broncos. While with Denver, he registered 326 yards and five touchdowns. Johnson had a prior rapport with Steelers receivers coach Zach Azzanni, who recruited him to the University of Tennessee.
“I don’t overlook him because this is the third place I’ve coached him,” Azzanni said in June. “I recruited him to Tennessee, I got him to Denver, he did the rest there. Helped get him here, thank God they listened to me and brought him here, because he’s a sneaky good player. I’m really excited about where he’s at, he can help us. I’m able to coach him hard, he’s our type of player.”
Over four seasons at Tennessee, Johnson posted 969 yards and a touchdown on 79 receptions. He transferred to UCF for the 2021 season, racking up 565 yards and a team-leading 11 scores on 38 grabs.
Johnson’s father, Charles Johnson, played catcher for six different MLB teams. His cousin, Chad Johnson, is the Cincinnati Bengals’ all-time leading wideout.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Promising WR Fails to Make Steelers’ Roster
