PITTSBURGH — Plenty of former Steelers have weighed in on Diontae Johnson quitting on the play when Jaylen Warren fumbled in the Bengals game, but his head coach won’t be joining them. At least not publicly.

Mike Tomlin said Johnson has to answer for his actions — or lack thereof — to his teammates first and foremost.

Johnson appeared to catch a touchdown on the previous play, but when he was tackled to the ground out of the back of the end zone, officials ruled it was not a catch. Warren fumbled on the very next play while Johnson did not block the cornerback in front of him. He also did not chase after him once he picked up the fumble and began running toward the end zone.

“Diontae can’t let the emotions of his previous down affect his next down,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. “But I’ll give him an opportunity to address that with you guys. I’ll give him an opportunity to address that with his teammates. I’m not going to add any additional color.

“Plays like that are best described and outlined by those involved and less so by guys like me. I keep my attention on challenging things, schematic preparations for Arizona. It’s something he needs to answer for, but I’ll give him an opportunity to do that.”

The Steelers had Monday and Tuesday off. They return to the facility Wednesday to begin preparations for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.

On the injury front, Tomlin said he is “cautiously optimistic” that safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and defensive tackle Montravius Adams will be able to play against the Cardinals.

Fitzpatrick has missed the past four games with a hamstring injury, and Adams has missed the past three games with an ankle injury. They are expected to take part in Wednesday’s practice.

What he said

“We can’t allow James Conner to do what James does. I know and love and have a lot of respect for James. He is a legitimate tough guy, a big-time competitor. I’m expecting nothing but his absolute best coming back into Pittsburgh because I know him. Aside from his will and intangible things, man, his skillset. When he gets into the secondary, he is tough to deal with. He is a combative runner.” — Tomlin on playing Conner for the first time since he left the Steelers following the 2020 season

Our take

The Steelers opted not to re-sign Conner after his rookie contract expired, but he has a new home with Arizona. Conner has 526 yards and two touchdowns this season. Since signing with the Cardinals in 2021, he has scored 24 touchdowns, including 15 in 2021.

Up next

The Steelers (7-4) play host to the Cardinals (2-10) at Acrisure Stadium. The Steelers have won 35 of the 60 games played between the two teams and have won six of the past seven in the series. The previous time the Cardinals beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh was 1969. Back then, the Steelers played the Cardinals twice a season when they were in the NFL Century division.