Player: WR Diontae Johnson
Stock Value: Sold
Reasoning: Officially, Diontae Johnson is now former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver. The Steelers just traded him to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for CB Donte Jackson and a late-round swap. He closes his five-year tenure with the team as one of the most polarizing players in recent years.
The Steelers never expected Diontae Johnson to be the next Antonio Brown, but they respected the similarities. After Brown forced his way off the team in 2018, they used one of the draft picks they got in return to draft Johnson, one of the elite route runners in the game.
He proved as advertised on that front, though he arguably never developed into a complete player. Many of the most common criticisms of his game are misguided, misleading, or out of date, especially his drops. But he’s never committed wholeheartedly to blocking. His penchant for reversing field in an effort to gain yards has led to accusations of fear of contact. While that’s not true, he still delivered too many negative plays when trying to create bigger ones.
Still, we seem to begin seeing a clearer picture of behind the scenes as the days tick by. I imagine we’ll hear more and more stories in the coming days and weeks. It sounds as though Johnson’s frustrations with the offense won over his better nature. Accounts describe a distraction in the room, particularly the film room, complaining about this and that. Other players complaining about the offense like George Pickens and Chukwuma Okorafor garnered praise from fans for speaking out. I somehow don’t think many will pat Johnson on the back for airing his Festivus grievances to his teammates and coaches, however.
In his only two seasons with Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback, Johnson caught 195 passes for 2,084 yards with 15 touchdowns. The Steelers signed him to a lucrative extension heading into the 2022 season, Johnson seen as a critical bridge piece.
Perhaps he would have served that function better if the Steelers had better options at quarterback or offensive coordinator. They couldn’t put their playmakers in position to make plays often enough, making their misses stand out all the more.
Like other talented players in the past, many fans will primarily remember his low moments So many call the move “addition by subtraction”—and a lot of them are just talking about on the field. I say the Steelers had better start adding to that wide receiver room.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
