In March, the Carolina Panthers traded veteran cornerback Donte Jackson to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for wide receiver Diontae Johnson. Carolina desperately needed to add speed at receivers and landed on one of the fastest and best separators in the NFL.
Height: 5'10" Weight:183 lbs
Age: 27
College: Toledo
2023 in Review:
The 2023 season was arguably the worst of Johnson's career numbers-wise. He did, however, improve as the season moved along, scoring four of his five touchdowns in the final six weeks of the season in addition to one in Pittsburgh's playoff loss to Buffalo. But if you're just looking at the numbers and not the actual story, you'll be fooled. The Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada in the middle of the year and started three quarterbacks (Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph). Pittsburgh's offense was in disarray all year long, much like Carolina's.
Expected Role in 2024:
Johnson will start at the X, but will almost certainly move around the field to play some Z and get some looks in the slot as well. His speed and ability to get open early in routes are traits the Panthers did not have in this offense a year ago. He's had issues with drops throughout his career and admitted to reporters earlier this offseason that he's let those moments get the best of him at times. But when he's on, he's one of the more dynamic receivers the game has to offer. Expect him to be the top or number two target for Bryce Young throughout much of the season. Rookie Xavier Legette may eventually take some of those targets away, but Johnson will be heavily involved from start to finish.
Career Stats:
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The Packers are banking on the offensive line making big strides this season, but may have suffered a setback during one of the first practices of training camp. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Aaron Banks went down with some sort of injury midway through Thursday’s practice. “Left guard Aaron Banks, who signed a four-year, $77 million contract in the offseason, did not finish the practice,” Demovsky noted for ESPN. “He appeared to drop out halfway through the one-hour, 54-minute session. He remained on the field with a helmet on but did not return.” The severity of whatever ailment Banks suffered is unknown at this time, but if he is forced to miss any meaningful practice time it could deal a blow to the Packers trying to build a strong chemistry and cohesion up front. Last season, for the San Francisco 49ers, Banks allowed just one sack but his 25 pressures ranked 105th in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has stirred up a whirlwind, looking to fulfill his priority of bringing a frontline starter to New York. In his latest round of relentless phone calls, MLB insider Jon Heyman reports that Cashman spoke to San Diego Padres general manager, A.J. Preller, about two-time Cy Young candidate Dylan Cease. Cease has been a source of interest for MLB teams since 2022, when he pitched to a spectacular 2.20 ERA with 227 strikeouts in 184 innings, coming second in the Cy Young voting. Landing with the Padres last season, Cease again flashed potential, tossing to a 3.47 ERA with 224 strikeouts through 189.1 innings of work. That year, he placed fourth in Cy Young voting. But as much as Cease is talented, he is also flawed. In 2023, just after his best year, Cease posted a lackluster 4.58 ERA, and this season has been no better. Through 113.2 innings this year, Cease owns a 4.59 ERA with 144 strikeouts. Cease has been quite the strikeout artist since his debut, but the rest of his results haven’t always been that good. His 42 walks and 16 home runs surrendered on the year make him a risky bet. According to Heyman, the Yankees are one of four teams that have “checked in” on Cease. He notes that trading Cease is a long shot since the Padres are in contention, but they still may be inclined to do so as he is in the last year of his contract. One might also add that his performance this year probably won’t help them reach the World Series. For the Yankees, or any other interested team for that matter, dealing prospects or players for a slumping half-year rental might not be the best idea. Still, the Padres might just receive a decent haul for Cease since the market for spotless, front-line aces is non-existent at this trade deadline.
The St. Louis Cardinals have been the talk of the trade block all season and now we are just days away from decision day. With the trade deadline coming on July 31st, we will soon know the team’s thoughts. The Cardinals have been clear that the standings will dictate deadline decisions and things haven’t been trending in the right direction since the All-Star break. The Cardinals have a few days to turn things around, but a slight sale seems possible at this point. CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa predicted the Cardinals will end up moving pieces and send Ryan Helsley to the Los Angeles Dodgers. "Los Angeles Dodgers: P Ryan Helsley," Axisa said. "The Dodgers needed bullpen even before Tanner Scott exited Monday's game with a forearm issue. Scott and Kirby Yates have underwhelmed, and who knows how effective Blake Treinen will be when he returns from his own forearm issue in the coming weeks? He's been out since mid-April. POBO Andrew Friedman doesn't like overpaying at the trade deadline, but he doesn't have much of a choice right now. The Dodgers are the most win-now team in the sport and the bullpen is a huge weakness. "The Cardinals are hanging around the wild-card race themselves and I suppose they could keep Helsley, though he will be a free agent after the season, and I think the market for high-end relievers will be too strong to pass up. I could see St. Louis buying and selling at the same time. Trade Helsley, then pick up a different (controllable) reliever to backfill his innings. The Dodgers seem likely to add multiple relievers at the deadline. I'll bet on Helsley being the most impactful." This is a popular prediction at this point. Now, it's a matter of seeing if it comes true.
New York Jets fans understandably panicked when it was learned on Thursday morning that quarterback Justin Fields was carted off the practice field with an apparent lower right leg injury. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (h/t Kevin Patra) later reported that "the initial diagnosis is that Fields suffered a dislocated toe," which isn't his big toe. ESPN's Rich Cimini offered more positive news regarding the situation, claiming that a source revealed "that the injury is not considered significant and that the quarterback should not be sidelined for long." The Jets signed Fields to a two-year, $40M deal with $30M guaranteed in March to be their starting QB after he spent last summer competing with Russell Wilson for the Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 1 gig. Fields went 4-2 as Wilson spent the first six weeks of the 2024 season recovering from a lingering calf problem before Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin started Wilson from Week 7 through the wild-card round of the playoffs. The Jets can escape Fields' contract as soon as next offseason, meaning backup Tyrod Taylor theoretically could give first-year head coach Aaron Glenn something to think about by performing well in Fields' absence. Gang Green opens the regular season with a home game against the Steelers on Sept. 7. "I think the most important part is, if anything does happen to Justin, I don't think there's any drop-off as far as what we want to do when it comes to play," Glenn said on Thursday about having to turn to Taylor temporarily. If Fields' injury is worse than feared, the Jets could give the Cleveland Browns a call about the status of Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. Cleveland is expected to carry rookie signal-callers Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel on the active roster through September, meaning either Flacco or Pickett could be deemed surplus by the end of the preseason.
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