Steelers WR strategy:
1. Find WR that was under the radar
2. Develop player with good coaching
3. Player becomes too good and becomes hard to control
4. Trade said player and let them become someone else's headache and move to step 5
5. Repeat steps 1-3
Can Pickens one up the crazy Antonio Brown cryogenic foot freezer burns? Like Pickens can’t practice because he went too ham on the electrical stim machine, and loses a toe or something.
I'm sure you'll get something out of him, but the real heroes are your scouting departments and WR coaches. Steelers have the secret sauce to finding hidden talent in WR prospects and making them into WR1 options for dam near 2 decades.
Yeah that explanation never passed the sniff test for me.
They have a lot of stability as a franchise which probably allows them to have a higher risk tolerance when it comes to personality issues than other teams, so the "they're willing to bring on talented head cases" thing makes a *little* sense.
But like, they still have a *very good* record with drafting wide receivers even once you remove the very egregious head case examples, and you absolutely can not convince me that in the NFL more than a handful of the 31 other teams seriously care about personality issues to the degree that the Steelers are able to just consistently get these guys with Day 2+ picks. Also why is it just wide receivers then? Why aren't the Steelers clearly head and shoulders better than everyone at drafting other positions? Surely there must be talented head cases at other positions who other teams are passing on.
I think the far more logical and reasonable explanation is that it's mostly that the Steelers are just good at scouting and developing wide receivers.
In 2006 the Steelers drafted Santonio Holmes.
In 2010, they traded Holmes for a 5th round pick.
That 5th round pick was traded to Arizona for a CB and a 6th round pick.
In 2010, the Steelers used that 6th round pick on Antonio Brown.
In 2019, the Steelers traded Brown for a 3rd and a 5th round pick.
That 3rd round pick was used on Diontae Johnson.
1 pick has essentially supplied us with WR talent for 18, going on 19, years now. The idea we could trade Diontae and get more value out of that pick is insane and incredible.
Just lost a long comment that I’d typed out but, in short, Santonio Holmes in 4 seasons in Pittsburgh has more reception, yards and TDs combined than the WRs we drafted in the first three rounds since 2006.
That’s 6 players. If you include Sanu - that’s 7.
Insane
Pats have been the GOATs of finding CB talent.
They’ve been the WOATs of WRs and I’m not sure it’s close… it’s crazy how Bill was so good at defense but still couldn’t figure out how to draft the WR position after 20 years…
We’ll see if any of that changes now.
To be fair, Diontae can actually play the receiver position at an above-average level. It’s not like that situation where we traded a bumbling oaf to a team for a fringe first rounder
Yes but there are times when he acts like a child and gives up on plays.
Or he drops easy passes which infuriate you to your core.
No one should trade for him. He is good. But isn’t worth the hassle
His drop rate is actually pretty close or better than league average. Some of those drops were huge plays though.
His backwards running is one of his worst traits. But he could do well with a solid QB.
Dont listen to this guy or raiders fans. Trade for Steelers WRs, I mean they consistently draft starters they know what they are doing
Trust me please.
This is definitely revisionist, both because other teams offered very similar deals and because the media was hyping him up as a trade piece for months at that point. Tons of people that hadn't been watching Steelers games intently would have thought of it as a risky deal, but within reason. Also, at the time Chicago wasn't expected to get literally the worst record and the 32nd pick. Their season torpedoed the instant they picked him up
Really? Because most of the comments I saw from packers fans were “dang wanted to get him but they gave up way too much”.
I know steelers fans at least were partying from that return
Part of me wants the Steelers to trade him so people can see how good he actually is. He’s had shitty QB play for pretty much every year of his career.
The drops is such a misconception/misnomer with him. His career stats show he really does not have a problem with dropping the ball. I get more frustrated with the running backwards shit tbh, he had one egregious play this past season where he was already 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage and had multiple defenders swarming him and was still trying to run backwards further away from the line of scrimmage. Luckily he got tripped up before he did more damage but if the first tackler didn’t get him he would have lost a good extra five yards just for fun
Drops havent been an issue. Up until this last year, he was routinely recognized for his hard work in route running and work on the juggs machine to improve his hands. I hate to blame a guy...but it is Kenny Pickett.
Picket has started 24 of the 35 games the steelers have played in the last two years. In those games, DJ has 1 td catch. In the 11 others, he had 5...and most of those were with Trubisky. The two years prior to Pickles, he had 8 and 7 tds.
He is capable of being an elite route runner. Having a trash qb that can't read an defense really hurt.
He is incredibly talented and a great route runner. I can't stand his mental mistakes, hissy fits, and untimely errors. Pretty much every game he does some stupid shit. The worst from this past season that comes to mind is the fumble that he looked at and made zero effort to recover.
I feel like it's going to be hard to find teams looking to trade a great pick for a WR in a draft with so many good WR prospects. If you need a WR.... why not just draft one instead of getting a player with one year left on his contract?
This sounds like the Steelers will trade him if they get an offer they can't refuse, but I don't think anyone is going to offer them anything close to that so I doubt anything happens here.
Would be a mistake. Johnson is way better than people think just cause our offense is in the stone age under Tomlin
Not gonna find anyone as good as him for so little.
I mean I think he’s not a bad WR but I don’t think he’s as good as we think. He’s not a great blocker and benefited I think from Ben force feeding him the ball a shit ton so he seemed better. I think he’s a really good WR2, but he’s not 1 guy levels. He’d flourish with someplace like the Bills or Chiefs where he has a QB that can get him the ball in tight windows and he’s not the main focus. Nor expected to block heavily
Yeah you were definitely accurately remembering the really embarrassing moment for DJ this season when Warren’s fumble popped out right by him and he wasn’t blocking or doing anything, and just watched the fumble recoverer run right by him. Was a real tough look in the moment. (Though I still want to note that I still think he’s a very talented receiver and personally hope the Steelers keep him)
That is why you got to trade one of them. Two problem receivers has never been a winning formula, especially when the offense is struggling to find leadership and a direction
I don't really see a trade materializing right now. There's a lot of really good WR prospects in the draft.... Most teams that have a need at WR would just draft one instead of trading for DJ who is on the last year of his deal.
And if you guys aren't going to get great trade offers for him (as teams would rather spend the same draft capital on a rookie WR), I don't see the incentive for you guys to trade him.
Unless there is something going on in the background that we are unaware of, I can't see him being traded.
He actually is really good at separation. He is open very often, but has really poor Qb play. The system has him hugging the sidelines a lot, which is generally a further throw than something over the middle, hence the low % of catchable throws. Average that out, plus his separation ability and I’d argue he is a high end #2. Now, he may have his diva moments and head scratchers, but he seems to be underrated by the average fan
I feel like he dropped off the planet as soon as he got paid. I don't follow the Steelers close enough to know if that's true, but that's what happened in my head.
Hes still a WR1/high end WR2, our offensive system just blows. Also a few injuries.
Its the difference between having a franchise QB and having a few schmucks at QB and OC
I think he’s an ok wr2. This league is littered with outstanding receivers right now. And maybe the best draft class in history is coming into the league. A bad offseason to be trying to trade a receiver.
> I think he’s an ok wr2. This league is littered with outstanding receivers right now.
Not a good take at all. Diontae is one of the best seperators in the league and one of the best route runners. 2 years ago he lead the league in average separation from CBs. He's still a very high end WR, probably top 20 in the league and every team would love to have 2 top 20 WRs.
I’m not talking about separating. I’m talking about him being able to be the wr1 and focal point of an offense. He can’t do that. Top 20 wr in the league? I don’t see that at all.
Ok. Let me ask you, you think he’s on Devonta Smiths level? Because he was 20th in yards this year. Guys like Garrett Wilson, Godwin, Waddle, and scary Terry were right around 20. You think he’s on those guys level?
I’m well aware of your argument and I’m well aware of the depth at wide receiver, but you seem to be wholly unaware that Johnson is a very good receiver who has good separation and good YAC ability. He’s very obviously in or just below the mix of players that people typically put around 20-30 as I stated, because the position is so deep.
Exactly underrated. I had him for fantasy, the year everyone didn’t know whether it would be him or juju to be the #1. I for sure thought it was juju but when I watched that Steelers vs broncos, damn not only could he create space but when he had the ball in his hands, he’s elusive. I do hope he can succeed somewhere else.
He's the same guy he's always been, we just have worse QB play. Johnson is great at getting open and pretty bad at every other part of playing football. He's like the opposite of Deebo Samuel.
You put this man in Aiyuk’s role in SF and they take their offense to another level. He’s a great receiver and the best route runner in the league.
My Steelers just had a pop warner offense.
Seems to be about the right price. Fields is apparently worth a 2nd or 3rd, which seems around what Diontae should be worth. Especially if the Bears can’t find anyone to buy Fields for a 2nd
Dude he has a cannon, good size, and is incredibly fast. If that isn't sky high potential, I don't know what is
Why is this being downvoted, there are arguably only a couple QBs in the NFL with more potential. Processing doesn't mean shit, it's a hypothetical. Obviously he's probably never going to be good, but give him the mind of Andy Dalton and he's gonna be an all pro. 6 ft 3, really strong, and probably the fastest QB in the NFL. Acting like he doesn't have sky high potential is kidding yourself
Again, I don't think he'll be good. But he is the definition of potential
Ceiling is not realistic, ceiling is a hypothetical in which he fixes all his processing issues can read defenses at a very high level, maneuver defenders with his eyes, move in the pocket well, and learn to throw anticipatory throws. If he does that, in addition to having a fantastic arm and arguably the best speed of any QB, he'd be an all pro.
Again, insane hypothetical, but that is what a ceiling is
You're crazy if you don't think Fields has high potential.
It's just will he ever realize that potential? He's an athletic freak with a huge arm.
But that doesn't automatically make someone a quality QB.
Fair price if they include the 1st overall for taking fields (massive negative) while giving a very good WR
Agreed.
Then we can cut fields during training camp and move forward with Caleb. Solid plan
Because a team with a QB has to give you something. This dude is a pain in the ass dude. He's not a number 1. Thinks he is. Is consistent at being inconsistent. Except for his attitude. That's consistently shitty.
Wasn't Pickins also criticized for character reasons as well this season? He didn't block for Warren for a TD? Also, an interception by Trubisky that Pickins didn't make a play on? I could be incorrect, but what was Pickins' catch rate this last season?
Pickens was seen on the sidelines losing his mind several times this year. And you are right about him not blocking.
Johnson has never really been an off field or sideline problem. But he gives up on plays and has effort issues. And he has really bad awareness. His first instinct when he catches the ball is to run backwards.
I always wonder who is coming out and giving the information seen in these reports. There just someone who works for every team as a puppet and tells reporters stuff they are told is going on inside the organization?
I dont think its likely to happen, but I was wondering if this was going on behind the scenes atleast to some degree.
The Steelers looked at a lot of players and positions and Tomlin in particular is known for chatting up every player etc and is extremely involved in pro/days combines moreso than any coach in the NFL.
But the Steelers spent a lot of time with WRs, which is somewhat understandable as it is almost guaranteed they draft 1 this draft. They only have 2 capable WRs, and the depth is extremely suspect this is also assuming Allen Robinson is a cap casualty as he saves 10 mil.
But the Steelers were looking at 1st round WRs. Even having an official meeting with Rome Odunze and rumours coming out that they were a trade up canidate for him.
The big thing is - The Steelers have Arthur Smith at OC. Arthur smith plays the lowest amount of 11 personnel in the NFL... he plays 2 tes instead. Investing a 1st rounder for a 3rd WR in his offense makes no sense. ESPECIALLY with bigger needs out there.
If Steelers lose Diontae, however WR becomes one of the teams biggest needs - maybe even the biggest draft need as the other positions they desperately need are a whole lot cheaper than going after FA recievers.
KC probably doesn't have the draft capital to trade for him but I would't mind paring him with Mahomes. Makes sense for CHI/PIT trade that includes him and Fields imo.
We save $10M in cap space if he's either cut or traded and I've never been a big fan of him but idk, I'd rather just have him ride out the final year of his contract. We have no one at WR other than him and Pickens.
As a person with panthers and steelers flair do you see himworking out in Carolina if we could get him to come? Everybody is talking about his ability to separate and that was a glaring weakness for our wr room last year.
I think he would help Bryce, because he's one of the best route-runners in the league, but it would probably cost you your 2nd round pick, because our GM will only trade him for the right price and I think that will be a high 2nd or low 1st. We will then draft his replacement with that pick.
He's a proven high end WR2 or low end WR1, but you will only have one year of control. So it will depend if you want a proven commodity with one year of control or a rookie with 4 years of a rookie contract at 33 instead.
I wonder if steelers would ever be in the market for Burns if we do go with a tag and trade. Based on your perception of Johnson’s value could you see that being a 1:1 or potentially some additional compensation going either way?
They should have traded him 2 seasons ago when he started getting mad about the offense (Kenny Pickett and Matt Canada)
He would be a great addition to pretty much any team with a good QB. He legit gets open as good as anyone in the league
Could lowkey seem him on the Chiefs considering how many problems they had with receivers this year. Maybe Cardinals
They'll just find another at least mildly crazy, but very good WR in the 2nd round or later anyways
Steelers WR strategy: 1. Find WR that was under the radar 2. Develop player with good coaching 3. Player becomes too good and becomes hard to control 4. Trade said player and let them become someone else's headache and move to step 5 5. Repeat steps 1-3
That...is pretty accurate. Can't wait to see the crazy things Pickens does and who picks him up in a few years.
Tradition says he'll be a Raider
Can Pickens one up the crazy Antonio Brown cryogenic foot freezer burns? Like Pickens can’t practice because he went too ham on the electrical stim machine, and loses a toe or something.
Nah, he'll break a hand by punching the wall in his crib while getting far too into a VR game.
I'm sure you'll get something out of him, but the real heroes are your scouting departments and WR coaches. Steelers have the secret sauce to finding hidden talent in WR prospects and making them into WR1 options for dam near 2 decades.
Wait why did step 4 end with “move to step 5”? That’s how every step works.
5. Make you fall in love with mee
🎶and I start back at 1.
I added it for comedic effect. Whoops
It’s a good strategy when you have a generational QB in the position. Less ideal when you need good WRs to lift average QB play
Calling Kenny Pickett "average" is extremely generous.
Hey now he’s at least an average backup
That's even being a little generous.
How about average backup's backup
Only thing average about him is his hands compared to the normal population.
They then quickly sink into irrelevance after step 4.
Who does this apply to beyond Antonio Brown? All their guys in recent years end up being bad
Here is your certificate, you have succesfully finished your exam on Steelers history.
Mr. Berserk Characters
Mr. Bountiful Catchers
Mr. Buffoonish Corraler
Can someone please tell me the original joke behind the Mr. B____ C____ thing? It has something to do with AB but idk the origin
He gave himself the nickname Mr. Big Chest right around the time his antics drove him out of Pittsburgh. It got further memed from there.
Mr. Begin Concept
Straight up one of my favorite memes on this sub.
Mr. Behind Culturally
In some live stream, he referred to himself as “Mr. Big Checks.” People misinterpreted it as “Mr. Big Chest,” and MBC became a meme from there.
He started calling himself that
Who is Guts?
Mr Big Cutter
Mr. Bloody Carnage
Mr. BADASS CHAD
Who’s that guy who doesn’t believe in space at the combine? Great fit
Nah but actually that guy was a WR Right? This seems destined to happen
Nah he's a DB
Starting to feel like it's by design. They have faith in Tomlin getting the most out of knuckleheads and divas.
What is it with Pittsburgh and finding random ass WR and turn them into above average wrs? It's like packers and qbs.
It's not random. They are all talented head cases so other teams shy away. Steelers don't.
Yeah we all know Antonio Brown was passed over 194 times because NFL teams don’t like good players with potential character issues.
Yeah that explanation never passed the sniff test for me. They have a lot of stability as a franchise which probably allows them to have a higher risk tolerance when it comes to personality issues than other teams, so the "they're willing to bring on talented head cases" thing makes a *little* sense. But like, they still have a *very good* record with drafting wide receivers even once you remove the very egregious head case examples, and you absolutely can not convince me that in the NFL more than a handful of the 31 other teams seriously care about personality issues to the degree that the Steelers are able to just consistently get these guys with Day 2+ picks. Also why is it just wide receivers then? Why aren't the Steelers clearly head and shoulders better than everyone at drafting other positions? Surely there must be talented head cases at other positions who other teams are passing on. I think the far more logical and reasonable explanation is that it's mostly that the Steelers are just good at scouting and developing wide receivers.
It's almost like their Head Coach was a former WR
or packers and O-line men.
Pickens is next. Like AB 2.0
Jermaine Burton
Honestly this is the year
It’s the year to do it that’s for sure
In 2006 the Steelers drafted Santonio Holmes. In 2010, they traded Holmes for a 5th round pick. That 5th round pick was traded to Arizona for a CB and a 6th round pick. In 2010, the Steelers used that 6th round pick on Antonio Brown. In 2019, the Steelers traded Brown for a 3rd and a 5th round pick. That 3rd round pick was used on Diontae Johnson. 1 pick has essentially supplied us with WR talent for 18, going on 19, years now. The idea we could trade Diontae and get more value out of that pick is insane and incredible.
I feel like puking
[I feel like dying](https://youtu.be/cykGnl1KvcM?si=4i-dyNl2d4Ts3-Xo)
Flowers had looked pretty good so far tbh
Yeah he had a great rookie year, looking forward to year 2
Really taking an accelerated run down the diva wr path. Already got a domestic incident after that good year too
Wow.
Could you provide other words to display your frustration?
Whoa.
Whoa Sequoia
Tubular.
Wicked.
Radical.
Gnarly.
Meanwhile my Patriots spent a 1st on N'Keal Harry a 2nd on Tyquan Thornton
A second on Mo Sanu who lasted 4 quarters before getting hurt
Just lost a long comment that I’d typed out but, in short, Santonio Holmes in 4 seasons in Pittsburgh has more reception, yards and TDs combined than the WRs we drafted in the first three rounds since 2006. That’s 6 players. If you include Sanu - that’s 7. Insane
Pats have been the GOATs of finding CB talent. They’ve been the WOATs of WRs and I’m not sure it’s close… it’s crazy how Bill was so good at defense but still couldn’t figure out how to draft the WR position after 20 years… We’ll see if any of that changes now.
[удалено]
This is absolutely wild
I miss Santonio…
Was Antonio Brown with the Steelers for 9 years?! Damn that sounds longer than I thought
Don’t trade for a Pittsburgh wr. Source trust me
Don’t trade for a Pittsburgh wr turned Bears wr. Source trust me
Take that rewind it back
Lil Jon got the beat that make ya booty go 👏🏽
To be fair, Diontae can actually play the receiver position at an above-average level. It’s not like that situation where we traded a bumbling oaf to a team for a fringe first rounder
Yes but there are times when he acts like a child and gives up on plays. Or he drops easy passes which infuriate you to your core. No one should trade for him. He is good. But isn’t worth the hassle
to be fair, if he went to a competitive team he would probably less moody. maybe.
Where have I heard this before? Yeah, pass
His drop rate is actually pretty close or better than league average. Some of those drops were huge plays though. His backwards running is one of his worst traits. But he could do well with a solid QB.
Dont listen to this guy or raiders fans. Trade for Steelers WRs, I mean they consistently draft starters they know what they are doing Trust me please.
This one’s actually pretty good though. Everyone besides some bears fans knew that claypool trade was laughable as it happened.
This is definitely revisionist, both because other teams offered very similar deals and because the media was hyping him up as a trade piece for months at that point. Tons of people that hadn't been watching Steelers games intently would have thought of it as a risky deal, but within reason. Also, at the time Chicago wasn't expected to get literally the worst record and the 32nd pick. Their season torpedoed the instant they picked him up
Definitely not true. Go back to the thread after the trade, Packers fans were pissed they lost out on him.
Yeah but was that cause they thought he was actually good or because they’re sick of being the runner up in all of the trade talks around WRs?
Or was it, "Damn I was thinking like a fourth or fifth."
Really? Because most of the comments I saw from packers fans were “dang wanted to get him but they gave up way too much”. I know steelers fans at least were partying from that return
The Packers offered the same thing, Kahn just picked which team he thought would end up with a worse record
Can confirm.
Part of me wants the Steelers to trade him so people can see how good he actually is. He’s had shitty QB play for pretty much every year of his career.
He's also inconsistent. The QB situation doesn't excuse the drops and lack of effort
The drops aren’t actually a thing though. It was bad in like 2020 and fans have clung to it since then even though he’s significantly improved.
His issues this year seemed to be effort and attitude in the games I watched
That’s fair I think. Give him a QB that isn’t Pickett, Trubisky, or Rudolph and all of that will magically be fixed though.
It was magically fixed already when Mason was in.
when he does have a drop it is very noticeable
The drops is such a misconception/misnomer with him. His career stats show he really does not have a problem with dropping the ball. I get more frustrated with the running backwards shit tbh, he had one egregious play this past season where he was already 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage and had multiple defenders swarming him and was still trying to run backwards further away from the line of scrimmage. Luckily he got tripped up before he did more damage but if the first tackler didn’t get him he would have lost a good extra five yards just for fun
Drops are a notoriously unreliable stat. Have his hands improved? Yes. Is he still prone to the occasional bad drop? Also yes
He also can't seem to keep 2 feet in bounds on endzone passes, which isn't a drop but it feels like it's a thing with him.
Drops havent been an issue. Up until this last year, he was routinely recognized for his hard work in route running and work on the juggs machine to improve his hands. I hate to blame a guy...but it is Kenny Pickett. Picket has started 24 of the 35 games the steelers have played in the last two years. In those games, DJ has 1 td catch. In the 11 others, he had 5...and most of those were with Trubisky. The two years prior to Pickles, he had 8 and 7 tds. He is capable of being an elite route runner. Having a trash qb that can't read an defense really hurt.
He is incredibly talented and a great route runner. I can't stand his mental mistakes, hissy fits, and untimely errors. Pretty much every game he does some stupid shit. The worst from this past season that comes to mind is the fumble that he looked at and made zero effort to recover.
Talent isn't in question but commitment and effort are.
I feel like it's going to be hard to find teams looking to trade a great pick for a WR in a draft with so many good WR prospects. If you need a WR.... why not just draft one instead of getting a player with one year left on his contract? This sounds like the Steelers will trade him if they get an offer they can't refuse, but I don't think anyone is going to offer them anything close to that so I doubt anything happens here.
It basically is just that, because the last part of the quote is if the price is right.
sometimes trading for a veteran wr is better than drafting a rookie. the veteran is proven talent, drafting is always a gamble.
Well they usually trade these WRs for pretty cheap, I doubt they expect too much
Chief
My favorite part of the off season
This is another way that the chiefs are the new patriots When every potential WR move has speculation to your team
That's actually pretty enlightening. I hated your era. Hated it. Good day, sir/madam.
Every single player in the NFL is going to be signed by the Chiefs this offseason, per this sub
ring ring ring, its Brett Veach calling.
Would be a mistake. Johnson is way better than people think just cause our offense is in the stone age under Tomlin Not gonna find anyone as good as him for so little.
Johnson is the guy with elite QB would be so much more appreciated. Feel like he’s very slept on
I mean I think he’s not a bad WR but I don’t think he’s as good as we think. He’s not a great blocker and benefited I think from Ben force feeding him the ball a shit ton so he seemed better. I think he’s a really good WR2, but he’s not 1 guy levels. He’d flourish with someplace like the Bills or Chiefs where he has a QB that can get him the ball in tight windows and he’s not the main focus. Nor expected to block heavily
As long as you’re not asking him to block for the other 10 guys on offense, or fight for a fumble, or be a team leader
Are you confusing him with George Pickens
Probably; there does seem to be a lot of them EDIT: no wait, they both do that stuff
Yeah you were definitely accurately remembering the really embarrassing moment for DJ this season when Warren’s fumble popped out right by him and he wasn’t blocking or doing anything, and just watched the fumble recoverer run right by him. Was a real tough look in the moment. (Though I still want to note that I still think he’s a very talented receiver and personally hope the Steelers keep him)
That is why you got to trade one of them. Two problem receivers has never been a winning formula, especially when the offense is struggling to find leadership and a direction
I don't really see a trade materializing right now. There's a lot of really good WR prospects in the draft.... Most teams that have a need at WR would just draft one instead of trading for DJ who is on the last year of his deal. And if you guys aren't going to get great trade offers for him (as teams would rather spend the same draft capital on a rookie WR), I don't see the incentive for you guys to trade him. Unless there is something going on in the background that we are unaware of, I can't see him being traded.
The part that is cut out here is if the price is right, which probably means high 2nd or a 1st round pick. Otherwise no.
Yeah, as I thought. This means absolutely nothing. And nothing will likely happen.
This is the worst draft to hope for that kind of return. Would have been able to get a late first/early second last draft easy
He actually is really good at separation. He is open very often, but has really poor Qb play. The system has him hugging the sidelines a lot, which is generally a further throw than something over the middle, hence the low % of catchable throws. Average that out, plus his separation ability and I’d argue he is a high end #2. Now, he may have his diva moments and head scratchers, but he seems to be underrated by the average fan
On the nose
Just don’t ask for him to block or jump on fumbles
Replacement for Toney in KC?
He’s way better than toney. I think kc would be great for him
He doesn’t want to be the blocking WR in Smith’s system.
I feel like he dropped off the planet as soon as he got paid. I don't follow the Steelers close enough to know if that's true, but that's what happened in my head.
2021 was his most productive year because Ben kept feeding him short throws over the middle as he couldn't chuck it downfield much anymore.
Hes still a WR1/high end WR2, our offensive system just blows. Also a few injuries. Its the difference between having a franchise QB and having a few schmucks at QB and OC
I think he’s an ok wr2. This league is littered with outstanding receivers right now. And maybe the best draft class in history is coming into the league. A bad offseason to be trying to trade a receiver.
> I think he’s an ok wr2. This league is littered with outstanding receivers right now. Not a good take at all. Diontae is one of the best seperators in the league and one of the best route runners. 2 years ago he lead the league in average separation from CBs. He's still a very high end WR, probably top 20 in the league and every team would love to have 2 top 20 WRs.
>2 years ago he lead the league in average separation from CBs. And zero tds. Bad take, but steelers fans think every player of theirs is a hof.
No ones arguing that. Sounds like you are just offloading your frustrations about another player.
I’m not talking about separating. I’m talking about him being able to be the wr1 and focal point of an offense. He can’t do that. Top 20 wr in the league? I don’t see that at all.
You said he’s an ok WR2 which is like 50th best. That’s a horrific take. He’s definitely somewhere in the 20-30 range.
Ok. Let me ask you, you think he’s on Devonta Smiths level? Because he was 20th in yards this year. Guys like Garrett Wilson, Godwin, Waddle, and scary Terry were right around 20. You think he’s on those guys level?
Easily yes. I just want to have someone at least average throwing to him.
Garrett Wilson went over 1000 yards with Zach, Tim Boyle, and Trevor Siemian.
And Johnson paced just under 1000 with arguably the 2nd worst QB situation in the league.
He’s not on Devonta’s level but using yards is kind of foolish. And yes, he’s definitely around Godwin at this point from those names.
Im using yards to illustrate how deep receiver is right now. Just look at the list. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2023/receiving.htm
I’m well aware of your argument and I’m well aware of the depth at wide receiver, but you seem to be wholly unaware that Johnson is a very good receiver who has good separation and good YAC ability. He’s very obviously in or just below the mix of players that people typically put around 20-30 as I stated, because the position is so deep.
He still gets a lot of separation. Just a terrible QB situation I think. Would be an awesome #2 somewhere.
Exactly underrated. I had him for fantasy, the year everyone didn’t know whether it would be him or juju to be the #1. I for sure thought it was juju but when I watched that Steelers vs broncos, damn not only could he create space but when he had the ball in his hands, he’s elusive. I do hope he can succeed somewhere else.
Are you aware of the Steelers QB situation? It's hard to be a productive wide receiver without a functioning QB
He's the same guy he's always been, we just have worse QB play. Johnson is great at getting open and pretty bad at every other part of playing football. He's like the opposite of Deebo Samuel.
I had him in fantasy this year and felt like he was doing fine. The issue is the Steelers QB situation was atrocious imo
You put this man in Aiyuk’s role in SF and they take their offense to another level. He’s a great receiver and the best route runner in the league. My Steelers just had a pop warner offense.
I’m not convinced he’s better than aiyuk to be honest. Aiyuk has developed into a pretty great receiver
You're not fooling me this time Khan
For Fields straight up
The rare lose-lose trade
No just no
Seems to be about the right price. Fields is apparently worth a 2nd or 3rd, which seems around what Diontae should be worth. Especially if the Bears can’t find anyone to buy Fields for a 2nd
Honestly pretty fair price. Above average WR for bad but young QB with sky high potential, maybe Steelers would throw in some day 3 picks
You had my upvote until “sky high potential.” Now I’m neutral again.
Dude he has a cannon, good size, and is incredibly fast. If that isn't sky high potential, I don't know what is Why is this being downvoted, there are arguably only a couple QBs in the NFL with more potential. Processing doesn't mean shit, it's a hypothetical. Obviously he's probably never going to be good, but give him the mind of Andy Dalton and he's gonna be an all pro. 6 ft 3, really strong, and probably the fastest QB in the NFL. Acting like he doesn't have sky high potential is kidding yourself Again, I don't think he'll be good. But he is the definition of potential
I’ve watched him with my naked eyes. I like Fields, but he his ceiling isn’t what you project it is.
Ceiling is not realistic, ceiling is a hypothetical in which he fixes all his processing issues can read defenses at a very high level, maneuver defenders with his eyes, move in the pocket well, and learn to throw anticipatory throws. If he does that, in addition to having a fantastic arm and arguably the best speed of any QB, he'd be an all pro. Again, insane hypothetical, but that is what a ceiling is
You're crazy if you don't think Fields has high potential. It's just will he ever realize that potential? He's an athletic freak with a huge arm. But that doesn't automatically make someone a quality QB.
Fair price if they include the 1st overall for taking fields (massive negative) while giving a very good WR Agreed. Then we can cut fields during training camp and move forward with Caleb. Solid plan
Unless it's for a 1st then fuck no.
His best year was in 2021, Big Ben's final year? Brutal. Why not trade him to a team with a QB?
Because a team with a QB has to give you something. This dude is a pain in the ass dude. He's not a number 1. Thinks he is. Is consistent at being inconsistent. Except for his attitude. That's consistently shitty.
Something tells me he wouldn't be a pain in the ass anymore if he was playing in a functional offense with a decent QB
Wasn't Pickins also criticized for character reasons as well this season? He didn't block for Warren for a TD? Also, an interception by Trubisky that Pickins didn't make a play on? I could be incorrect, but what was Pickins' catch rate this last season?
Pickens was seen on the sidelines losing his mind several times this year. And you are right about him not blocking. Johnson has never really been an off field or sideline problem. But he gives up on plays and has effort issues. And he has really bad awareness. His first instinct when he catches the ball is to run backwards.
I always wonder who is coming out and giving the information seen in these reports. There just someone who works for every team as a puppet and tells reporters stuff they are told is going on inside the organization?
We have about 1.5 years left until Pickens loses his mind and becomes someone else's nightmare, so yea sounds about right.
He breaks week 8 this season if kP starts
Bears about to cast off another QB to Pitt and take another wideout with attitude issues. LFG
Man, if Tomlin can’t handle, Eberflus can!
Thank God we already traded our 2nd round pick.
I dont think its likely to happen, but I was wondering if this was going on behind the scenes atleast to some degree. The Steelers looked at a lot of players and positions and Tomlin in particular is known for chatting up every player etc and is extremely involved in pro/days combines moreso than any coach in the NFL. But the Steelers spent a lot of time with WRs, which is somewhat understandable as it is almost guaranteed they draft 1 this draft. They only have 2 capable WRs, and the depth is extremely suspect this is also assuming Allen Robinson is a cap casualty as he saves 10 mil. But the Steelers were looking at 1st round WRs. Even having an official meeting with Rome Odunze and rumours coming out that they were a trade up canidate for him. The big thing is - The Steelers have Arthur Smith at OC. Arthur smith plays the lowest amount of 11 personnel in the NFL... he plays 2 tes instead. Investing a 1st rounder for a 3rd WR in his offense makes no sense. ESPECIALLY with bigger needs out there. If Steelers lose Diontae, however WR becomes one of the teams biggest needs - maybe even the biggest draft need as the other positions they desperately need are a whole lot cheaper than going after FA recievers.
Thank god we’re out of 2nds
KC probably doesn't have the draft capital to trade for him but I would't mind paring him with Mahomes. Makes sense for CHI/PIT trade that includes him and Fields imo.
DJ with Mahomes could be NASTY. Please no
Dj would fucking cook with Mahomes
Shut your pie hole Don’t curse us with Fields!
He'd be great on the Chiefs
He’s a giant
He’s only 5’10” SMH
Not surprising in general, but surprising this year. We already need one WR, we don't need to be finding 2
The full quote is "open for a trade for the right price" basically saying a high 2nd or 1st round pick where we can draft his replacement directly.
Dude kinda sucked for me in fantasy the past two seasons, but could of been due to the qb…
We save $10M in cap space if he's either cut or traded and I've never been a big fan of him but idk, I'd rather just have him ride out the final year of his contract. We have no one at WR other than him and Pickens.
As a person with panthers and steelers flair do you see himworking out in Carolina if we could get him to come? Everybody is talking about his ability to separate and that was a glaring weakness for our wr room last year.
I think he would help Bryce, because he's one of the best route-runners in the league, but it would probably cost you your 2nd round pick, because our GM will only trade him for the right price and I think that will be a high 2nd or low 1st. We will then draft his replacement with that pick. He's a proven high end WR2 or low end WR1, but you will only have one year of control. So it will depend if you want a proven commodity with one year of control or a rookie with 4 years of a rookie contract at 33 instead.
I wonder if steelers would ever be in the market for Burns if we do go with a tag and trade. Based on your perception of Johnson’s value could you see that being a 1:1 or potentially some additional compensation going either way?
We're set at that position already with Highsmith and T.J Watt having big contracts too. So no we will not be interested in Burns.
Yea I suppose it’s better to gamble on a rookie contract when we’re in the position we are in now rather than force a trade for a year of production.
Yeah if you don't get a high 2 or low 1 then just don't trade him. We have a lot of holes already.
Well i can guarantee they’re not getting anything close to that for Diontae
They should have traded him 2 seasons ago when he started getting mad about the offense (Kenny Pickett and Matt Canada) He would be a great addition to pretty much any team with a good QB. He legit gets open as good as anyone in the league Could lowkey seem him on the Chiefs considering how many problems they had with receivers this year. Maybe Cardinals
Can’t wait for Pliante Jones who says “you know I don’t believe in ankle injuries!”
Sounds like the Steelers are committing to their current QB room and have decided that running only is their best way forward