Diontae Johnson

In trading Diontae Johnson, the Steelers moved their only remotely expensive offensive player off the payroll. A defense-heavy roster that features big-ticket deals for T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Cameron Heyward, Alex Highsmith and Patrick Queen also houses an offense without any eight-figure-per-year players. While George Pickens resides as a potential extension candidate, his rookie deal […]

Rumors surfaced throughout the offseason that the Broncos' Courtland Sutton or the 49ers' Brandon Aiyuk could be trade targets for the Steelers. As of now, neither appears to be on the move to the Steel City, especially with Sutton recently restructuring his contract for the 2024 season to remain in Denver. George Pickens is expected to lead the Steelers' wide receiver room this season with Diontae Johnson now in Carolina, but the group is relatively thin beyond that. Van Jefferson, who the team signed this offseason, caught 20 passes for 209 scoreless yards last year while splitting time between the Rams and Falcons, and rookie third-rounder Roman Wilson will likely need time to adjust to the pro game. It's possible the Steelers reconsider a trade for a receiver after getting a better look at their guys in camp, but this is a team that has seldom bent the knee to receivers seeking lucrative deals -- which is important when considering the possibility of a trade for Aiyuk.

Panthers HC Dave Canales said Wednesday that WR Diontae Johnson will be featured in the offense.

"As we build our offense, we really try to feature someone," Canales told reporters Wednesday. "And for us right now, 'where is Diontae Johnson at?'" Canales said the Carolina offense would be centered around Johnson and how teams are covering him. It's not too much of a surprise considering Johson's target-earning prowess in Pittsburgh over the past five seasons, where he averaged 8.4 targets over 77 games, eclipsing 140 targets during three of those seasons. Though the Panthers should be one of the NFL's run heaviest teams -- Canales has emphasized a conservative, run-first approach -- Johnson should dominate the passing attack in 2024.

After finishing last season No. 31 in points and No. 32 in yards, the Panthers made a lot of offensive changes for 2024 like trading for Diontae Johnson and trading up to select Xavier Legette at No. 32 overall.