The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to change their offense for the 2024 NFL season. First was the arrival of Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator followed by the arrival of quarterback Russell Wilson with a contract with the veteran’s minimum salary and now they got rid of wide receiver Diontae Johnson in a trade with the Carolina Panthers.
According to a report by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Steelers will receive cornerback Donte Jackson and the 178th pick in exchange for Johnson and the 240th pick in the next Draft. Pittsburgh made the move today because the wide receiver is due next Friday, a three million dollar bonus.
With the arrival of Jackson, Pittsburgh is responsible for filling the void left by the departure of Patrick Peterson. The LSU graduate has started 76 of the 80 games he has played with the Panthers and over the last year he accumulated 59 tackles, five pass deflections and forced fumbles.
Additionally, the Panthers give young quarterback Bryce Young a reliable target. Johnson struggled to stay healthy through 2023, since he only played in 13 of the 17 regular season games, but he had his best year in terms of percentage of passes caught. The University of Toledo graduate caught 52.9 percent of the passes thrown his way (51/87) and generated 717 yards with five touchdowns.
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With Johnson leaving for Carolina, there is a hole left at the WR position because Pittsburgh only has two players under contract George Pickens and Calvin Austin III. After being eliminated by the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round, the Steelers signed futures contracts with Marquez Callaway, Denzel Mims, Dez Fitzpatrick, Duece Watts and Keilahn Harris.
Las options in free agency They include veteran greats like Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard, as well as youngsters looking for a fresh start on another team like Laviska Shenault, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Mecole Hardman and Marquise Brown.
In the event that the Steelers want to use one of their draft picks, the pool of wide receivers is too broad. With their first-round pick, 20th overall, they could draft LSU’s Brian Thomas, who would be a great target in the end zone and dazzles with its speed.
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In the second round, with the 51st overall, it is likely that Michigan’s Roman Wilson will be available, who can play in the slot due to his small but strong frame. Additionally, he had the fifth-fastest 40-yard dash time during the Scouting Combine at 4.39 seconds.
Pittsburgh management has found great wide receivers after the third round and the team has a pair in the fourth (118th and 119th).
2024-03-12 23:58:32
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