Tim Benz: Donte Jackson, fellow Steelers embrace Diontae Johnson's return to AFC North in Baltimore

Former Pittsburgh Steeler Diontae Johnson saw only 13 snaps in his Baltimore Ravens debut and wasn’t targeted on the day.

That was the plan heading into Baltimore’s Week 9 game against the Denver Broncos, a contest the Ravens (6-3) won 41-10. The Ravens coaching staff wanted to get Johnson up to speed before it fully integrated him into the offense after acquiring the 28-year-old on Tuesday from the Carolina Panthers.

We’ll see how much learning they can cram into Johnson’s head between now and Thursday night’s AFC North game against the Cincinnati Bengals, then a return to Acrisure Stadium to play the Steelers on Nov. 17.

Before the team left their practice facility Wednesday for their bye week, Steelers players acknowledged the trade but stopped short of fixating on it. That even goes for cornerback Donte Jackson, the player Pittsburgh got in exchange for Johnson from Carolina in March.

In fact, Jackson is embracing the news.

“It’s awesome. It’s a competitive game. I’m a corner. He’s a receiver. We’re gonna get competitive,” Jackson said. “I’m excited about it. I’m sure he is. But I don’t really try to make too much out of it. We’ve got other opponents (Washington on Sunday) before that.”

Jackson went so far as to suggest he’s happy for Johnson.

“It’s cool to see him coming back to a division that he’s familiar with. It’s awesome for the game, awesome for this competitive division,” Jackson continued.

While Jackson is downplaying the angle two weeks out, by gametime, Johnson’s presence in Purple and Black will surely add spice to what is already a heated rivalry. It’s one that will be simmering all the way up to Week 11 before its first installment of 2024.

“Those are always the games that you live for. Especially in our division, playing in the AFC North. Those games are going to be high intensity like they always are,” linebacker Alex Highsmith said.

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If Joey Porter Jr. is assigned to the other team’s top receiver, as is usually the case, that’ll probably mean he’ll see a lot of Zay Flowers from Baltimore. Flowers is Baltimore’s top target for quarterback Lamar Jackson. He just had a huge game Sunday, posting five catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns against the Broncos.

So Jackson may be locked up against Johnson quite a bit when the teams meet twice over the final nine weeks of the season. Or, If Johnson works out of the slot a lot, some combination of Cam Sutton and Beanie Bishop may be responsible for keeping Johnson quiet.

“It amps things up a lot,” Porter said of Johnson’s arrival in Baltimore. “He’s gone to their team just like we’ve got (former Baltimore linebacker) Patrick Queen on our team. It’s going to be interesting. It’s going to be fired up. I know we are going to be ready for it just like they are.”

For his part, Jackson has been a significant upgrade for the Steelers at the cornerback position opposite Joey Porter Jr. The seventh-year pro already has three interceptions and, despite a tough game against the New York Giants last Monday night, has largely been an asset in coverage.

The Steelers’ inability to backfill at the receiver position to replace Johnson is another story entirely. But that’s not Jackson’s fault. That’s on general manager Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin when it comes to their inability to properly scout, draft, trade for, or sign any pass catchers better than Calvin Austin or Van Jefferson as No. 2 options to George Pickens for this year.

That’s to say nothing of depth at the position if Pickens should ever get injured. However, Jefferson and Austin have at least started to make more of an impact since Russell Wilson stepped in at quarterback two weeks ago.

It’s clear the Steelers have already won the Jackson-Johnson trade with the Panthers since Johnson stayed in Carolina for barely half of a season. Will the addition of Jackson offset the absence of having a true No. 2 receiver by enough of a margin to call it a win for the Steelers themselves if one isn’t acquired by Tuesday’s trade deadline?

So far, I’d argue it has.

Having Johnson in the division, though, with two more head-to-head matchups forthcoming, leaves plenty of potential to change that opinion.