4 advantages of Steelers waiting on a Diontae Johnson contract extension
By Tommy Jaggi
3. New quarterback may prefer other options in the passing game
One of the biggest question marks when it comes to the Steelers this year is how is there offense going to look with a new quarterback at the helm. More specifically, how will the new quarterback distribute targets.
Though Ben Roethlisberger clearly favored Diontae Johnson over anyone else in the passing game, that might not necessarily be the case for Mitch Trubisky or Kenny Pickett. While Johnson’s ability to quickly separate makes him a pretty safe bet to once again lead the team in targets, Trubisky and Pickett may have other preferences.
Pickett, specifically, excelled at throwing the ball over the middle of the field during his time at Pitt. Though Johnson has a similar build to his former favorite college target, Jordan Addison, Johnson doesn’t win often between the hashes and he does the vast majority of his work on the outside.
Logically, it seems like getting an extension done with Johnson is only going to help the next QB, but we do need to take into account that throwing to a 5’10 1/2” receiver outside the hashes may not be their forte.