Ever since the closure of this disappointing 2022 season, some Pittsburgh Steelers fans wondered whether or not Diontae Johnson should be traded during the 2023 offseason. After shipping Chase Claypool Chicago for what turned into the 32nd overall pick, it seems highly unlikely that the team could afford to part with their leading receiver.
That still is the case. Regardless of how you feel about Johnson, the team couldn't leave themselves empty-handed at the wide receiver position. However, one prominent NFL analyst is still leaving the door cracked open for a potential trade.
Pro Football Talk, led by NBC's Mike Florio, joined Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan to talk about the Steelers recent trade for Allen Robinson. Despite Robinson making little impact on the Rams during the 2022 season, PFT believes that it's 'entirely possible' for Johnson to be traded now that Pittsburgh added some veteran depth at the wide receiver position.
The great @ProFootballTalk on @937thefan on the Steelers getting trade calls on Diontae Johnson after the Allen Robinson deal: "I think it's entirely possible. And could be a precursor to that...it could open the door to a Diontae Johnson deal."
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) April 19, 2023
Should the Steelers shop Diontae?
This seems like a bit of a stretch, but some crazy things have happened already this offseason, and we've seen just how aggressive new front-office executives Omar Khan and Andy Weidl can be. At this time, we don't know if teams have reached out to Pittsburgh about a potential trade for Johnson or whether or not there is any interest on their end.
Should Steelers trade Diontae Johnson?
This begs the question of what the Pittsburgh Steelers should do. Should they trade Diontae Johnson (who was very inefficient in 2022) or hope that he bounces back in his fifth NFL season?
The obvious answer is to keep him. Though we may not always like the results and the drops can be infuriating, you could still do worse than Johnson in the 'X' receiver role. Additionally, the depth at receiver isn't anything to write home about -- even after the trade for Allen Robinson.
However, potential compensation has to at least play a factor. If there's a team willing to hand Pittsburgh a second-round pick for a proven veteran, that's certainly worth considering. Johnson may not even be part of the plan in 2024 or beyond, after all.
If a trade were to happen, the Steelers would no doubt have to throw a high pick back into the wide receiver position to help fill the void. There's certainly no guarantee that the player they would draft would be as good as DJ, but it would be intriguing to get a young player with upside on a rookie contract.
At the end of the day, this trade seems highly unlikely -- even with new faces running the show in the front office. Allen Robinson shouldn't be counted on as anything more than a WR3 at this stage in his career, and Pittsburgh isn't in a position to be giving away talent. Kenny Pickett could use all the help he can get in 2023 and the coaching staff knows that. A Steelers trade involving Diontae Johnson seems very unlikely at this point.