The Pittsburgh Steelers have been on the wrong side of injury luck so far this season, and it has only been one week.

The team is already preparing to be without Cam Heyward for a lengthy period of time due to his groin injury which will require surgery, but the team also has to deal with Diontae Johnson’s hamstring injury. Reports Tuesday stated Johnson could miss weeks, but didn’t give any real specifics to the injury. Wednesday the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac gave those specifics when he stated the team is expecting Johnson to miss “up to 4 weeks” with the injury.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson expected to miss up to 4 weeks with hamstring injury, per team sources.

— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) September 13, 2023

While some might brush off a hamstring injury, it is important to note these soft tissue injuries can linger and turn into long term injuries. Just look at what happened with Ahkello Witherspoon’s hamstring injury in 2022.

With Johnson out for the next few weeks, it does make fans wonder what the team will do in his absence. Obviously George Pickens becomes more of a highlighted focus of an offensive game plan, but the team will rely on Allen Robinson and Calvin Austin III to pick up the slack.

Some view Austin as a slot receiver, but his best work, and his work in college at Memphis, was as an outside receiver, not in the slot. Austin also is probably as close to Johnson’s skill set, in terms of speed and creating separation, as any other receiver on the roster.

Will Johnson and Heyward both find their way on Injured Reserve (IR)? Heyward most certainly will, but Johnson is a player who could just bide his time being inactive for the next several weeks until he is healthy enough to return.

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 2.