Cowboys a suggested trade partner for Steelers WR Diontae Johnson

Bleacher Report recently suggested a ‘firework’ trade that would send Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Cowboys.

Over the 4th of July weekend, Bleacher Report’s Khristopher Knox comprised an article detailing some ‘firework’ trade proposals that would transform the league. One of the trade suggestions that Knox expanded on involved Diontae Johnson.

Knox suggested that the Dallas Cowboys would be a great landing spot for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, Diontae Johnson. In this specific proposal, Bleacher Report has the Steelers sending Johnson to the Cowboys for a 2023 second-round draft pick.

In his reasoning, Knox argues that the Steelers could use added draft capital as they retool their team during this transition period. Dallas, meanwhile — a team who looks to be Super Bowl contenders in the present — would get a quality, young receiver who could help make up for the loss of Amari Cooper.

If this was an option that was realistically on the table, sign me up. Diontae Johnson is certainly worth a second-round pick. However, when you consider the fact that he’s about to become a top-10 highest-paid receiver in the NFL despite some inconsistencies over the past two seasons, the Steelers would have a case to ship him away.

Would Steelers consider this trade?

This trade scenario is obviously just a hypothetical, and one that is very unlikely to ever play out. However, would the Pittsburgh Steelers consider trading Johnson for a second-round pick if it was really an option?

As much as some fans are pulling for him to get his new deal, it’s hardly a guarantee that Johnson is going to be in Pittsburgh long-term. Though Johnson’s presence on the football field would no doubt be good for Kenny Pickett’s development, it’s possible that the Steelers and Johnson’s agent could be too far off when it comes to proposed contract numbers to make this thing work.

Even if Johnson does stay, I’m not convinced I wouldn’t rather have the second-round pick than a good receiver on a massive deal. Though I do think that Johnson is a very solid football player, it’s hard to argue that he’s been efficient or consistent enough over his first three years to warrant over $20 million per season.

If the Steelers were to get a second-round pick in exchange, they could reinvest that into a receiver next year. Rinse and repeat, as they’ve always done.

Unfortunately, this just isn’t how the Pittsburgh Steelers operate… at least when Kevin Colbert was running the business. Pittsburgh seemingly never makes moves that could hinder their chances of being competitive in the present. In fact, it’s probably more likely that they would trade their second-round pick away in order to acquire a starting-caliber player to keep them competitive.

I can’t say that I always agree with this philosophy, but I understand wanting to give yourself a shot at the playoffs each year.

Additionally, this trade wouldn’t make a lot of sense for Dallas. They shipped Amari Cooper away early in the offseason for a late-round pick. Why would they spend a second-round draft choice to trade for a player who doesn’t have the same pedigree and who would likely be even more expensive than Cooper on the deal they would be required to hand him.

These trade scenarios are fun to think about, but it’s highly unlikely that Jerry Jones is going to be calling Omar Khan about a trade for Diontae Johnson anytime soon. Still, if the Steelers feel like they aren’t going to be able to retain their top wide receiver, a possible trade shouldn’t be out of the question.