Waiting for schedule, Deontae Johnson admits injury ‘frustrating’

PITTSBURGH — Steelers wide receiver Deontay Johnson says he’s staying positive and poised amid an uncertain timeline for his return from a hamstring injury.

“It’s bad,” Johnson said Thursday, adding that no decision has been made about placing him on injured reserve. “It’s the first game, and I wasn’t able to do what I wanted to do there, but it’s frustrating.

“But at the same time, my teammates keep me going, and my little son keeps me going. I can’t just be in a bad mood; that won’t do anything about the situation. All I can do is keep being a person.” Our group leader, he just brought positive energy or a smile to my face and kept attacking this rehab center.”

The injury occurred early in the third quarter on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers as Johnson attempted to make a cut after catching a first down on the end of a 26-yard gain. Johnson is expected to be out for “a few weeks,” a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.

“I got my feet on the ground,” Johnson said. “A lucky accident, it failed. I can’t do anything about it.”

Johnson said he had no issues with his hamstring during the preseason and that he emerged from training camp healthy.

The Steelers will likely be without Johnson for Monday night’s game against the Cleveland Browns, coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday, meaning wide receiver Calvin Austin III could play an expanded role on offense. Austin, who missed his rookie season with a foot injury, scored all six catches for 37 yards in his NFL debut. Although he is an undersized receiver, at 5-foot-9 and 162 pounds, Austin spent most of his time on the outside, running 23 routes and catching five passes from the outside compared to just four routes in the slot.

“He’s smart, so he knows what he’s doing,” Johnson said of Austin. “He knows the playbook so well, so it’s like when he goes out there, it’s like he’s never seen the formation or the play call before, never heard anything. We’ve been doing this since training camp, so I’m sure he “He’ll be really comfortable there.”