In an offseason that saw Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan wheel and deal on the trade market, both trades he made ended up being quite impactful.
In fact, NFL.com Tom Blair expects players involved in both trades Khan was part of to have among the biggest impacts on the 2024 season.
Of course, we’re talking about the Diontae Johnson-Donte Jackson swap between the Steelers and Carolina Panthers, which included a pick swap in the 2024 NFL Draft that gave the Steelers a sixth-rounder and the Panthers a seventh-rounder, and the Justin Fields deal between the Steelers and Bears, which cost the Steelers only a conditional sixth-round pick that could become a fourth in 2025 based on playing time.
For Blair, Fields might not see the field in 2024, but he will push veteran Russell Wilson, potentially pushing him to play like a winner again.
“None of the quarterbacks traded this offseason are guaranteed to start a single game in the near future, but I wanted to write about at least one of them. Fields seems like the one who is most likely to impact the 2024 season,” Blair writes regarding Fields having a big impact in 2024. “Even if he doesn’t get on the field, he could push Russell Wilson into playing like a winner again in Pittsburgh. And if Fields earns the QB1 job outright, he’ll have a chance to show how his skill set translates to wins for a legitimate playoff contender, which he hasn’t had the opportunity to do yet in the NFL.”
It’s certainly a roundabout way of arguing that Fields will be impactful this season, but at least it makes some sense.
While Wilson is in the “pole position” entering the offseason workouts, as head coach Mike Tomlin said, Fields will get an opportunity to at least compete—in a sense. His presence alone behind Wilson should push the veteran quarterback a bit in 2024, which will only benefit the Steelers if Wilson takes the push correctly and elevates his play in what could be his final stop in the NFL.
But, were Fields to somehow shockingly win the QB1 job outright and open the season as the starting quarterback for the Steelers under Tomlin and new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith? The league would need to be on notice.
It would be the best team and the best situation he’s had to date in his NFL career, which would likely elevate his play overall and have him getting back toward his potential.
There will be many eyes on Justin Fields this year to see what he can do with a new opportunity in Pittsburgh.
Maybe that opportunity includes some special packages under Smith, designed to get Fields on the field to utilize his skillsets, particularly his running abilities. Maybe that even includes returning kickoffs with the new kickoff rules in place in the NFL, though that seems very unlikely.
Or, again, maybe he ascends to QB1, giving him an opportunity to seize upon the spot in Pittsburgh and fulfill his potential. That would certainly be considered an “impact” in 2024 — and beyond.
As for the Steelers trading Johnson, Blair says it will make a major impact for the Panthers as Carolina landed a potential top wide receiver to help get the most out of potential franchise quarterback Bryce Young.
“Perhaps, though, the Panthers can get more out of Johnson, whose unfortunate penchant for being in drama-tinged headlines shouldn’t obscure the respectable per-catch mark (14.1) he managed to put up while working with Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Mitchell Trubisky,” Blair writes regarding Johnson. “In the best-case scenario, Johnson revitalizes his own prospects while playing a role in saving the career of a potential franchise quarterback.”
The move was a surprising one from the Steelers’ vantage point. Johnson didn’t ask for a trade, and the move created a major hole at the receiver position that the Steelers have yet to truly fill, and might not fill for the 2024 season.
Johnson might be exactly what Young needs in Carolina, and cornerback Donte Jackson might be exactly what Pittsburgh needed at cornerback behind ascending second-year pro, Joey Porter Jr.
It might not have been a huge headline-worthy trade, but it should have a positive impact in 2024 for all parties involved. That’s what you’d call a win-win if that were to occur.
