Tim Benz: Diontae Johnson trade can't miss for Steelers, and Donte Jackson knows it

So far, any word that I can come up with to describe new Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Donte Jackson is a positive one.

Bright. Engaging. Friendly. Energetic. Accessible. Confident (without being too cocky).

He’s also intelligently self-aware. He knows the situation that he has walked into upon being traded to Pittsburgh.

He’s a cornerback from Carolina who was traded for wide receiver Diontae Johnson. Just the positional nature alone of that swap is a tough one. Most times, when fans and media are noticing a wide receiver, it’s because they are doing something good.

Scoring a touchdown. Converting a first down. Making a diving catch.

The cornerback is often the guy giving up those plays. Unless it’s an interception or a rare splash play of a different sort, if the corner is getting noticed, it’s because he’s been burned. When the corner is doing his best work, he may not be noticed at all because the ball is going elsewhere.

So, even though Johnson seemed to be falling out of favor in Pittsburgh with the way last year ended, he’s still a decent receiver whose roster spot has yet to be successfully filled. And while it’s not an apples-to-apples comp when it comes to evaluating how Jackson will do his job here versus how Johnson will perform in Charlotte, Jackson realizes people are going to make it anyway and embraces the challenge.

“I know Diontae was a great fan favorite, a great player,” Jackson said after a recent practice. “So I’m not going to come in and try to be that, to match that. I’m just going to come in and be myself. My game is going to speak for itself. I’ll be a household name just by going out there and playing football.”

The spotlight is on Jackson and general manager Omar Khan even more because there are some who believe that Jackson may have ended up being released by Carolina anyway. Yet the Steelers gave up a starting asset to get him.

“At corner, the spotlight is always on that position,” Jackson continued. “I like to think I’ve always been a solid guy who is out there making plays. It just (hasn’t been) in front of the right eyes.”

For his part, secondary coach Grady Brown says the traits in Jackson’s game that attracted the Steelers to him when he was a college player coming out of LSU in 2018 are still present.

“He can still run,” Brown said Wednesday. “He still has that speed. He’s a high football IQ guy. He’s been really good for the room. … He’s coachable. He’s a pleasure to be with.”

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Another thing that Jackson does is, in theory, occupy the other outside corner spot opposite Joey Porter Jr. That way, Brown and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin can throw a lot of the other pieces the Steelers picked up during the offseason at the still vacant slot-corner position — a hole that may not be entirely figured out until the team learns how long (if at all) recently reacquired Cameron Sutton will be suspended.

“He does give us a different type of cover guy than Joey,” Austin said of Jackson. “Joey is going to be a line of scrimmage (player). Tall, gets his hands on people. Donte is going to have the ability to play off and can really run. So, he gives us a little bit of a nice matchup in terms of coverage and some flexibility because he has played and done some things inside.”

For his part, Porter sees Jackson as a perfect running partner in the secondary.

“I’ve been a fan of him since he was at LSU,” Porter said. “The fact that I get to learn from him and be a sponge to him is great. He knows so much about the game. He has been playing a long time at a high level. He’s fast, physical and he gets the ball. That’s all you need to be a corner.”

All the happy talk and good vibes about Jackson are great. And he comes off as the kind of guy who, at least off the field, deserves them.

But on the field, this trade has to work out for the Steelers. It just … has to. Quietly, a ton of faith has been put behind Jackson to make this trade pay off because:

• Johnson is gone and has yet to be replaced. The Steelers may have patched a hole at outside corner, but they created one at No. 2 receiver.

• If Johnson does get replaced through a trade to acquire a quality veteran player, it may cost the Steelers significant cap dollars and/or trade assets.

• Those cap dollars could be used in other places — such as a reworked deal for Cameron Heyward.

• By making the decision to acquire Jackson, the Steelers punted on addressing the secondary until the sixth round and decided to draft a tackle instead in the first round, who may not start out of the gate for the team this year.

• Jackson is working on a one-year deal, so he has to prove himself worthy of being kept in just 17 games or the position will need a replacement again next year.

For now, though, Jackson isn’t feeling any pressure.

“This is an opportunity to show what I have been doing my whole career,” Jackson said. “That’s flying around and being an impact player. That’s my mindset right now. Fly around and be a difference maker.”

That’s easy to say now. Just wait until that first touchdown is allowed in Acrisure Stadium, especially if Johnson happens to catch a touchdown the same day for Carolina.

It’s OK, though. Pittsburgh fans are renowned for their patience and taking it easy on new guys who come from other teams.

Just ask Ryan Graves and Rowdy Tellez.

PNC Park crowd letting Rowdy Tellez hear it after he strikes out looking on a full count in his first at-bat of the afternoon. pic.twitter.com/BN1SG4vDNN

— Justin Guerriero (@GuerrieroTrib) May 23, 2024

See? Totally patient.

Listen: Donte Jackson discusses his trade to Pittsburgh from Carolina and the pressures that come with it.