Former DB believes Pittsburgh Steelers won Diontae Johnson trade

PITTSBURGH – One of the reasons there has been a talent problem in the Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receiver group this season is because the front office traded wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers in March.

In exchange for Johnson, who had a career-high 1,161 receiving yards with the Steelers in 2021, they received cornerback Donte Jackson and the No. 178 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. With this selection, the Steelers selected defensive lineman Logan Lee from Iowa, who is still Has not played a regular season snap and has been on injured reserve since September 7th.

The trade looks pretty balanced right now with Jackson playing for the Steelers and Johnson becoming the top option for current Panthers starting quarterback Andy Dalton.

However, former Steelers defenseman Bryant McFadden believes they clearly won the trade. During an appearance with the PM Team on 93.7 The Fan, the seven-year NFL veteran explained why he believed Pittsburgh came out on top.

“Donte Jackson is one of the top three interceptors in the NFL,” McFadden said. “He caused turnovers. “He does a great job in coverage, and when you pair him with what we have in Joey Porter Jr., you have to like that duo, especially within the division. We're playing against top-ranked quarterbacks. So no questions for the fans who feel like we lost the deal. No, we won the deal.”

Jackson is currently tied with Paulson Adebo and Brian Branch of the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions, respectively, for the third-most interceptions in the league this season with three. At the top of that list is Xavier McKinney of the Green Bay Packers, who scored five goals.

Johnson, on the other hand, has 340 yards and 3 touchdowns on 29 receptions. While it's definitely too early to make a final statement on the trade, the Steelers' early results are encouraging.

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