The Pittsburgh Steelers’ receiving corps has been held back by inferior quarterback play since the latter part of Ben Roethlisberger’s career, failing to rank in the top ten in passing yards and only ranking in the top ten in passing touchdowns once since 2019. The Steelers ranked 31st in passing yards and 29th in passing touchdowns in 2019 (Big Ben missed all but two games), 15th in passing yards and 7th in passing touchdowns in 2020, 15th in passing yards and 17th in passing touchdowns 2021 (Big Ben’s last season), 24th in passing yards and 32nd in passing touchdowns in 2022 (Trubisky and Pickett), and 25th in passing yards and 30th in passing touchdowns in 2023 (Pickett, Trubisky, and Rudolph).
One receiver, for the most part, who has been a reliable receiver since his rookie season is Diontae Johnson. Johnson had a solid tenure with the Steelers, recording 4,363 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns in five seasons and making his first Pro Bowl appearance in 2021.
Unfortunately, his time in Pittsburgh came to an end this offseason.
The Pittsburgh Steelers traded their Pro Bowl receiver away in 2024
The Steelers traded Diontae Johnson and a 7th-round pick to the Panthers for Donte Jackson and a 6th-round pick.
It’s been four months since the Steelers traded Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. He breaks his silence.
Diontae Johnson breaks his silence after recently being traded
“It’s a business. I had a great time in Pittsburgh. They took a chance on me in 2019 and I can’t thank them enough,” Johnson said. “I’m just happy to be here in Charlotte. I won’t call it a fresh start, but it’s another opportunity to do what I can, to help another program win games. So I’m gonna bring my best foot forward and my best attitude to the team, and try to do what I can to help change things around here.”
Why the Pittsburgh Steelers trading away Diontae Johnson could come back to haunt them
The Steelers trading Johnson could haunt them because the trade leaves their receiving corps thin. Outside of George Pickens, the Steelers receiving corps has players who had good starts to their careers but have been disappointing for the past few seasons. This can be said of Van Jefferson, Quez Watkins, and Scott Miller.
Jefferson had a solid second season with the Rams in 2021, serving as the WR2 and helping win a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, he battled a knee injury in 2022 and fell out of the rotation in 2023, which caused the Rams to trade him to the Falcons before the NFL Trade Deadline.
Watkins had his best statistical season as a pro in 2021, serving as the WR2 and the 3rd leading receiver. Thanks to the A.J. Brown trade, Watkins didn’t get as many targets in 2022. Finally, he missed eight games in 2023 because of a hamstring injury.
Scott Miller had his best statistical season as a pro in 2020, serving as the WR3/4 and the 4th leading receiver. He missed eight games in 2021 because of turf toe and didn’t receive that many targets and snaps in 2022 and 2023.
Finally, their other receivers are young and inexperienced. Calvin Austin III enters his third season after missing all of 2022 because of injury and serving as the backup slot receiver to Allen Robinson in 2023. Roman Wilson, a 3rd-round pick rookie, looks to compete for the starting slot receiver job.
Who are the early favorites to start?
George Pickens is the only Steelers wide receiver who is a lock to start next season, while the last two starting spots are up for grabs. So far, Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III have taken the early lead, but that could change once training camp begins.
