Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson says former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has “still got it” after seeing him at training camp.
By the time Ben Roethlisberger’s NFL career ended last season, it was pretty clear he was on a serious downswing physically.
So after his visit to Steelers training camp on Wednesday, it was a bit surprising to hear someone, anyone, talk about how he could still make throws.
But that’s exactly what Diontae Johnson, Roethlisberger’s No. 1 receiver last year, said.
Diontae Johnson is the only person who thinks Ben Roethlisberger’s ‘still got it’
“He’s still got it,” Johnson said via Joe Rutter on Twitter. “I don’t think that arm will ever go away. It was good seeing him out there.”
Johnson may be a bit generous to Roethlisberger on this one. His velocity issues last year weren’t just at the end of a long season. His arm had limitations throughout.
That doesn’t mean he wasn’t still an effective quarterback at times. Pittsburgh did go to the playoffs after all. It’s just that he clearly needed to retire to let the Steelers move on to their next quarterback.
It looks like that guy will be Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh’s first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s battling with Mitchell Trubisky for the starting job this year. Even if Trubisky wins the battle for 2022, Pickett is still expected to take over and become the franchise quarterback sooner than later.
Pickett didn’t get the chance to chat with Roethlisberger on Wednesday though.
He told reporters that he wanted to talk to the former QB after practice but he didn’t see him as he left the field, per Brooke Pryor. He’ll have to get whatever advice he needs from the Super Bowl champion via text.