Would, or should, the Steelers consider a reunion with WR Diontae Johnson?
The Steelers spent the offseason looking for wide receiver help after trading Diontae Johnson. Now that he is on the waiver wire, they have an opportunity to bring him back. He is not a free agent, so another team could claim him, but would they even have interest?
Well, it’s easy to believe the Steelers would want to add another wide receiver. We don’t even know if George Pickens will play Wednesday against the Chiefs, and they need that game. But Diontae Johnson was never a part of the Arthur Smith offense, so that complicates matters.
At the same time, in theory, they don’t have much to lose. The Steelers don’t have to give up anything to claim Johnson. And if he acts up, they can just waive him. I truly don’t see him becoming much of a distraction because he doesn’t matter much.
But there is a reason the Steelers got rid of him in the first place—even if it wasn’t because of his play. If perhaps they think Johnson is sufficiently humbled, maybe they take a swing. Especially if they don’t feel like Pickens will be very close to 100 percent this week.
Of course, Diontae Johnson has already worn out his welcome with two different teams at this point. And when the Steelers trade a wide receiver, things don’t usually go well. Again, he can still play, and if they added him, I’m sure he could do a little something.
But the Steelers don’t even have the same wide receiver room. Johnson hasn’t worked with Russell Wilson—he doesn’t know this offense. Sure, he knows a lot of the player, and of course Mike Tomlin. But in many ways returning to the Steelers is coming to a new team. And we’re nearly there for the Christmas Day game, so it’s pretty late.
But is it worth a stab?
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Russell Wilson earning a lucrative new deal next year, and is Justin Fields still in consideration? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
