The Pittsburgh Steelers saw their former Pro Bowl wide receiver Diontae Johnson get traded from the Carolina Panthers to their AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens before the 2024 NFL trade deadline. Johnson was excited to be back in the AFC North and face his former team as the Steelers and Ravens still had two matchups in the season when Johnson was traded. However, Johnson hasn't made much of an impact in Baltimore so far. Through five games, Johnson has only had one catch for six yards and five targets. Johnson spent five seasons with the Steelers after being drafted in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He had 4,363 receiving yards with the Steelers and served as Pittsburgh's top wide receiver for a while.
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Former Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson (#18) warms up on the field prior to a 2022 preseason matchup against the Detroit Lions at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA.
The move to trade Johnson brought in Donte Jackson from the Panthers and a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Johnson had his up and down moments in Pittsburgh, but he was seeing a good amount of workload in Carolina. Before getting traded to the Ravens, Johnson had 357 yards and three touchdowns with the Panthers. Johnson joined a then 5-3 Ravens team and got a MVP quarterback with Lamar Jackson throwing to him. The former Toledo standout didn't see much work in Week 9, but it was assumed he was being worked into the offense. He had his Week 11 revenge matchup against the Steelers, but failed to bring in a single catch on his two targets.
Questions have been risen why Johnson hasn't seen much of the field. The Ravens' only notable receivers are Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and Nelson Agholor, so why hasn't Johnson, who has proved himself in the past, not getting more playing time? Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh held a press conference Monday following Baltimore's Week 13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and responded to questions about Johnson on the offense.
"At this time, I'm going to have to wait. There are some moving parts there that we're going to have to figure out and explore and see where we're at. It's the best I can do in fairness to everybody," Harbaugh said.
The Athletic Ravens' reporter Jeff Zrebiec reported after Week 13's game that Johnson had played no snaps against the Eagles. There were multiple shots during CBS' broadcast that showed Johnson on the sideline looking on with no emotion on his face. Johnson was getting targets and a lot of playing time with the Panthers, so he's clearly upset with the situation he's in now.
Ravens snap counts in loss to Eagles:
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) December 2, 2024
Diontae Johnson doesn’t get on field on a day where Wallace and Agholor play 40 snaps each. Oweh plays just 15 snaps while Tavius Robinson nearly goes the distance. Board outsnaps Simpson. pic.twitter.com/FePJKsjXkM
It is tough to see as Johnson had a lot of good moments in Pittsburgh. He did have his infamous catches and run backwards plays, with some easy dropped pass moments, but overall he was a good addition in the wide receiver room, especially when George Pickens joined the team in 2022. Nothing is known on whether Johnson will finish out the season with the Ravens or if Harbaugh will start implementing him in the offense more. Johnson has received praise from his quarterback Jackson, but not much has come from that.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Mike Tomlin during the Cleveland Browns game in Week 12.
Steelers Could Get Johnson Back After This Season
Johnson will become a free agent after this season, so Head Coach Mike Tomlin and General Manager Omar Khan could make a move to sign Johnson again. It'd be interesting to see how Johnson would play with Russell Wilson, as for most of Johnson's career he had a subpar quarterback room in Pittsburgh. Although, Tomlin had some comments about Johnson before their Week 11 matchup in Pittsburgh and Tomlin wasn't too worried about facing off against his former wide receiver. It could've been from the rivalry, but Tomlin doesn't seem like he's in a rush to sign Johnson back.
Harbaugh still has four more weeks and a potential playoff run with the Ravens to prove Johnson was a good acquisition for Baltimore. The Steelers will face the Ravens in Baltimore in Week 16 for their second matchup, so maybe Harbaugh will use Johnson more then to get him going against his former team one last time during this season.
What do you think of Johnson's situation in Baltimore? Would you take him back? Let us know in the comments below!
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