The Baltimore Ravens will have WR Diontae Johnson the next time they take the field. What does that mean now, and more importantly, what will that mean in January? They plucked him from the Carolina Panthers for cheap, who previously acquired him from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“If you look at the Ravens, they were a team that was in need of a wide receiver, and they were able to go get one”, Mark Kaboly said on 93.7 The Fan yesterday, though I’m not sure everyone would agree with that. Many felt like acquiring Diontae Johnson was more of a luxury for them. “I think he’s still at the top of his game, so I think that’s a huge get for them. That might even be enough to flip the script here and saying that Baltimore is still the easy favorite to win this division with a guy like that”.
The Steelers currently hold a one-game lead over the Ravens in the AFC North, but they have yet to play. Baltimore has Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and Nelson Agholor at wide receiver, a trio arguably better than the Steelers. Now you add Johnson to that, however you do it, and clearly they become a more dynamic team. And they were already one of the best offenses in the league, if not the best.
“It’s gonna absolutely benefit the Ravens”, Kaboly said. “He’s still a very good wide receiver. Joey Porter [Jr.] was talking about him today, saying, ‘It brings that matchup with the Ravens with a little bit extra oomph with Diontae Johnson there’. You could probably call him their best receiver right now”.
Steelers fans have, let’s say, mixed opinions about Johnson. He made the Pro Bowl in 2021, then went a whole year without a touchdown. He somewhat rebounded despite injuries last season, but fans were always quick to point out the flaws in the now-Ravens receiver’s game.
In seven games with the Panthers this season, Johnson caught 30 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns. In a scene familiar to him, Carolina went through a mid-season quarterback change, benching Bryce Young after two games. He won’t have to worry about quarterback instability with the Ravens.
In fact, Lamar Jackson is off to his best season as a passer and is on pace for his first 4,000-yard season. The Ravens quarterback is up to 2,099 yards, going 158-for-236 with 17 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He is already averaging nearly nine yards per pass attempt, so Diontae Johnson is coming into an explosive offense.
The primary trait that Johnson brings to the table, of course, is his elite route running. The only time he had a quarterback who could truly maximize his still set was in 2021, and that was with twilight-years Ben Roethlisberger.
If the Ravens want to use him extensively, I tend to agree with Kaboly—Diontae Johnson could be their best receiver. Rashod Bateman is far too inconsistent for the discussion. Zay Flowers is good, and has 41 catches for 527 yards right now. But he doesn’t have Johnson’s polish and experience, yet shares some of the same flaws. Don’t be surprised if Johnson sees somewhat limited playing time, though, at least initially.
