Tag: Diontae Johnson

Diontae Johnson: Panthers told me I’ll be X receiver, first read on ‘almost every play’

Panthers WR Diontae Johnson said that HC Dave Canales told him he’ll be the primary target on offense.

The Carolina Panthers brought in wideout Diontae Johnson to make life easier for quarterback Bryce Young—and they told him so right from the jump.

Johnson spoke with reporters on Tuesday afternoon, following the team’s first outing of voluntary minicamp. He was asked about what he can do to help the 22-year-old Young, who experienced a pretty rough rookie campaign in 2023.

“Just a guy that can get open, no matter where I’m at on the field,” he replied. “Just get him that sense of comfort when he’s back there knowing he got a guy that can get open anywhere on the field. That’s what I’m here to do—make plays.”

Well, he made plenty of plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first five seasons of his NFL career. There, Johnson amassed 391 receptions for 4,363 yards and 25 touchdowns—a body of work highlighted by a Pro Bowl selection in 2021.

Pittsburgh then traded Johnson to Carolina back on March 12, in exchange for cornerback Donte Jackson and a late-round pick swap in the 2024 NFL draft. And that deal could prove to be a fruitful one for the Panthers, who apparently made their intentions clear to Johnson.

“Dave told me that as soon as I got here,” he said. “I’m playing the X, ‘You’re gonna be the first read in the progression almost every play.’ ‘Cause my unique skill set that I bring to the table, I’m gonna utilize it.”

Johnson has averaged nearly 128 targets per season as a pro, so seeing the rock is nothing new for the 27-year-old pass catcher.

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Panthers WR Diontae Johnson admits to hilarious mix-up involving HC Dave Canales

Panthers WR Diontae Johnson admitted to not knowing who his new head coach was, at least initially.

Diontae Johnson kicked off his Carolina Panthers career having experienced a few pretty big surprises.

The sixth-year wideout spoke about those on Tuesday afternoon, following the team’s first session of voluntary minicamp. His first shock, obviously, came when his move to the Queen City went down.

“I was surprised, but blessed at the same time,” he replied when asked about his trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers. “I was in Pittsburgh five years, so coming here is different. Just still trying to get acclimated, and I’m just enjoying the process right now.”

Johnson was shipped off to Carolina right before the start of the new league year on March 12. The Panthers acquired the former Pro Bowl pass catcher and the 240th overall selection of the 2024 NFL draft in exchange for cornerback Donte Jackson and the 178th pick.

The 27-year-old would then tell reporters that he didn’t know his head coach, Dave Canales, was his head coach—at least initially . . .

Luckily for Johnson, he’s got that part of his acclimation all cleared up now.

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Panthers OC Brad Idzik on improving WR room: We’re gonna strip this thing down to the bolts

Panthers OC Brad Idzik is ready to start from square one.

New Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Brad Idzik doesn’t plan on picking up where the last coaching staff left off.

The 32-year-old spoke with reporters on Tuesday afternoon, his first presser since being hired to the offensive coordinator position. When asked how he plans on improving the team’s production from its wide receivers, Idzik stated that they’re starting from scratch.

“Just lookin’ at the group—from here forward, operatin’ with a blank slate,” he replied. “So we are starting from square one with every single guy and investing in ’em and his development this offseason.

“From a veteran who’s been around like Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson, all the way down to a young guy like Jonathan Mingo goin’ into his second year—we’re just letting them show us, through the things they put on tape this offseason, what is there progression looking like now currently? So we’re just excited to really just strip these things down to the bolts and build things up one day at a time.”

Fortunately, there’s almost nowhere to go but up for the group. Carolina’s wideouts struggled mightily with gaining separation through the 2023 campaign, one that saw the passing offense finish dead-last in the NFL at 161.2 yards per game.

Despite not having control of the play-calling duties just yet, Idzik may be the perfect man for that job. Prior to his career on the sidelines, the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder was a standout receiver at Mercer Island High School and played some college ball at Lehigh University and Wake Forest University between 2010 and 2012.

Idzik would then go on to coach the position, serving as the assistant wide receivers coach in Seattle for three seasons and as the wide receivers coach for Tampa Bay in 2023.

So, the Panthers’ pass catchers may be in good hands.

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NFL draft analyst thinks Panthers will target these 2 WRs in the 2nd round

ESPN’s Jordan Reid believes the Panthers could be targeting a certain type of WR in the second round of the 2024 draft.

The Carolina Panthers may be looking to add a whole new element to their wide receiver room come April 26.

ESPN NFL draft analyst Jordan Reid was a featured guest on Friday’s episode of Panthers On Tap, a podcast hosted by fans Bryson Karbley and Curtis Rauen. When asked about this year’s pass-catching prospects, Reid came up with two names Carolina could be targeting early in the second round:

Barring another move, the Panthers are currently in possession of the 33rd and 39th overall picks. The former was earned by virtue of their league-worst 2-15 record and the latter was acquired from the New York Giants in their trade of two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Brian Burns.

As Reid notes, Carolina’s offense already has a few smaller-bodied technicians in Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson—whom the team nabbed in a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers last month. Other than that duo, the depth chart also rosters Jonathan Mingo and Terrace Marshall Jr., two larger targets who fit that X receiver mold.

But with either having yet to solidify their roles in the NFL, you can’t blame the Panthers for possibly having interest in Keon Coleman or Xavier Legette with one of those aforementioned selections.

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Popular 2024 draft prospect compared to new Panthers WR

A 2024 draft prospect who’s been linked to the Panthers has a pretty similar profile to one of the team’s newest pass catchers.

What’s better than having one Diontae Johnson? How about having two?

As we inch closer and closer to the 2024 NFL draft, the Carolina Panthers have been linked closer and closer to University of Georgia wideout Ladd McConkey. Given Carolina’s need for more pass catchers who can separate and McConkey’s ability to—well—separate, the two-time national champion should be on the team’s list of targets for the 33rd overall pick.

McConkey is so good at separating, in fact, that CBS Sports staff writer Garrett Podell recently compared him to new Panthers receiver Diontae Johnson. Podell writes:

McConkey is incredibly agile off the line of scrimmage. His footwork is that of a basketball player, jabbing and shaking past defenders at the beginning of his routes. The out route might be McConkey’s best because of his ability to come to a stop and then accelerate out of the breaks in his routes. His usage of various speeds and hesitation before accelerating to an opening is reminiscent of how Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic lulls defenders to sleep before scoring at the rim. McConkey also has strong hands, evidenced by hauling 30 of his 37 targets with only two dropped passes.

Wow. A Luka comp, too?

But if we stick to football, Panthers head coach Dave Canales will be running his offense on timing. That approach will put a premium on players like Johnson and McConkey—who can find their own space and find it quickly.

And if he is indeed the pick for Carolina, quarterback Bryce Young can really play point guard and finally get those easy layups going.

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Should the Panthers trade for Texans WR John Metchie III?

Has the Texans’ acquisition of Stefon Diggs opened up a trade target for the Panthers?

When one door closes, another one opens. And on Wednesday, the door for John Metchie III in Houston may have gotten a whole lot tighter.

This morning, the Texans gave their keys to wide receiver Stefon Diggs. The defending AFC South champions acquired the 30-year-old wideout from the Buffalo Bills, as well as two late-round draft picks, in exchange for a 2025 second-round selection.

Diggs joins an already crowded arsenal of pass-catching targets for quarterback C.J. Stroud, who also has fellow receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell, tight end Dalton Schultz and even running back Joe Mixon at his disposal. So where does that leave our guy Metchie?

The 2022 second-round pick hasn’t had the most seamless transition from the University of Alabama to the pros. After sitting out what would have been his rookie campaign because of acute promyelocytic leukemia, Metchie couldn’t find his stride in 2023.

Over 16 games, he recorded 30 targets — just the seventh-most on the Texans this past season. His debut year resulted in 16 catches for 158 yards on the fifth-most productive passing offense in football.

And now a four-time Pro Bowler will need his share of targets in the Houston offense.

But as we stated in the very first sentence of this post, this move could lead to an opening for Metchie. (We’re lookin’ at you, Dan Morgan.)

The Carolina Panthers have dedicated a good chunk of their offseason to helping second-year quarterback Bryce Young. Not only did they sign away a combined $153 million for two new starting guards in Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, but they also nabbed a Pro Bowl receiver of their own in Diontae Johnson.

Their work on that front, however, is far from done — and Metchie fits right into their mission.

Head coach Dave Canales is on the lookout for weapons who can find their own space, something Young sorely lacked throughout his rough rookie season. We saw that intent with the trade for one of the game’s best separators in Johnson and could see even more of it early on in the 2024 NFL draft.

And hey, maybe the draft brings something other than an actual selection. With Diggs now in tow for Houston, perhaps the misfit Metchie could be had for a Day 3 pick.

During his time in Tuscaloosa, Metchie won on polish. He wasn’t the biggest or fastest guy but proved he can find openings through his instincts and his route-running.

And much of that success came with Young as his quarterback. Metchie notched his collegiate bests across the board during Young’s Heisman-winning season in 2021, when he reeled in 96 receptions for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns.

So perhaps opportunity will knock for Metchie — and maybe it’s the Panthers who should be on the other side of that door.

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Steelers insider reveals motive behind Diontae Johnson divorce

Steelers insider Mark Kaboly revealed why the team traded receiver Diontae Johnson to the Panthers.

Addition by subtraction isn’t the case in the Pittsburgh Steelers trading wide receiver Diontae Johnson. The loss of their leading receiver is significant. It’s still early in the offseason, and the NFL draft is looming, but if the Steelers had a plan when they sent Johnson to Carolina, it hasn’t yet come to fruition.

Rumors surrounding Cincinnati Bengals free agent Tyler Boyd have simmered, and nothing has come of the Brandon Aiyuk talk that was once rampant.

As for why Johnson was traded, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic believes it was all about the money.

“Johnson was traded because he was heading into the final year of his contract, he wasn’t going to be re-signed and he felt the Steelers’ quarterback situation wasn’t going to put him in the position to cash out on another contract next year,” Kaboly wrote in his April 2 Steelers mailbag.

Though Russell Wilson and Justin Fields have yet to take a snap in a Steelers uniform, it’s hard to believe Pittsburgh’s quarterback situation is any worse than it had been since Ben Roethlisberger retired.

Johnson could’ve topped his career year of 2021, when he had 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns, but we’ll never know. And that’s OK.

He now has the opportunity to help struggling quarterback Bryce Young make a name for himself in the NFL.

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PFN identifies Steelers as best fit for WR Michael Gallup

So far this offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers have traded away their top wide receiver Diontae Johnson and signed three veterans to replace him. But I’m not sure anyone views Van Jefferson or Quez Watkins as starters in this offense and Cordarrelle …

So far this offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers have traded away their top wide receiver Diontae Johnson and signed three veterans to replace him. But I’m not sure anyone views Van Jefferson or Quez Watkins as starters in this offense and Cordarrelle Patterson is as much a running back and kick returner as anything else.

The free-agent market for wide receivers isn’t nearly as robust as it was at the start of free agency but there are still some names who could have an impact on the new-look Steelers offense. The one we all hear about is former Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd but Pro Football Network targeted a different receiver as the best fit for the Steelers and that’s former Dallas Cowboys pass catcher Michael Gallup.

Michael Gallup hasn’t been the same player since tearing his ACL in 2022 but has a 1,000-yard campaign (2019) on his ledger. The 6’1″, 200-pounder can give the Steelers more size on the perimeter and wouldn’t prevent them from drafting an early-round WR. Gallup has drawn free agent interest from the Panthers and Ravens since being released by the Dallas Cowboys in early March.

At this point, it’s Boyd or nobody for us. We would much rather see Pittsburgh draft a player in the second or third round of the 2024 NFL draft than roll the dice on a player who has lost a step or two since his ACL injury.

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Panthers projected offensive depth chart heading into April

How is the Panthers offense looking as we enter April? Here’s our projected depth chart for the unit as it currently stands:

The offensive overhaul for the Carolina Panthers began on January 25, when they officially named Dave Canales as their new head coach. So, what does the unit look like now?

Since then, Canales and president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan have taken their shared vision into free agency. And as a result, they’ve given the offense a bit of a facelift.

So, as we prepare for April and the 2024 NFL draft, here’s our projected depth chart for the group:

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
QB Bryce Young Andy Dalton
RB Chuba Hubbard Miles Sanders Raheem Blackshear Mike Boone Spencer Brown Tarik Cohen
WR Diontae Johnson David Moore Jalen Camp
WR Jonathan Mingo Terrace Marshall Jr. Michael Strachan Cam Sims
SWR Adam Thielen Ihmir Smith-Marsette
TE Tommy Tremble Ian Thomas Stephen Sullivan Jordan Matthews Chris Pierce
LT Ikem Ekwonu Yosh Nijman Ricky Lee
LG Damien Lewis Brady Christensen Cade Mays
C Austin Corbett
RG Robert Hunt Chandler Zavala Nash Jensen J.D. DiRenzo
RT Taylor Moton Ilm Manning Badara Traore

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Panthers WR Diontae Johnson hints at new uniform number?

New Panthers WR Diontae Johnson may have a new uniform number in 2024.

Diontae Johnson may be starting completely fresh in 2024.

After spending the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the 27-year-old wideout was traded to the Carolina Panthers at the start of free agency. And after spending each of those five seasons wearing the No. 18, he may be switching it up in his new threads . . .

This would be the first time that Johnson dons the No. 5 uniform—at least on a big stage. He wore No. 3 at Earl J. Lennard High School in his hometown of Ruskin, Fla. and then No. 19 and No. 3 during his time at the University of Toledo—where he was a two-time first-team All-MAC selection.

The head coach who helped pluck Johnson out of Toledo spoke to reporters about his now-former receiver from the Annual League Meeting on Monday.

“You’re gettin’ an awesome route runner, a guy that can create separation at the top of routes, a guy that’s tough to stay with,” Mike Tomlin said of Johnson’s move to Carolina. “He can win in non-vertical route-running and vertical route-running. So you get a guy with a complete skill set in that regard and I just think he’s gonna be a big asset to ’em.”

As far as who Johnson would be taking over for, the No. 5 was last worn by free agent Laviska Shenault Jr. this past season.

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