Johnson was held without a catch on two targets Sunday against the Steelers. It was not an eventful homecoming for Johnson after spending the first five seasons of his career in Pittsburgh. He played 11 snaps and drew a pair of targets but failed to come down with either. Through three games with the Ravens, Johnson has one catch for six yards on 32 snaps and four targets. Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor remain the primary three receivers for the Ravens but there's a chance Johnson begins displacing Agholor once he gets more acclimated with the offense.
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Status
ACTIVELatest Diontae Johnson news
Team
Baltimore Ravens
Birthdate
7/5/1996 (28)
Status
Active
HT/WT
5'10", 183 lbs
Draft Info
2019: Rd 3; Pk (PIT)
Birthplace
Ruskin, FL, USA
Position
WR
College
Toledo
Experience
6 seasons
Career History
Baltimore Ravens
2024-Present
(1 season)
Carolina Panthers
2024-2024
(1 season)
Pittsburgh Steelers
2019-2024
(5 seasons)
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DraftKings points 6.0FanDuel Points 5.1REC 1.9REC YDS 25.7LNG 11.8TD 0.2CBSS fantasy points 4.0ESPN fantasy points 4.0Yahoo fantasy points 5.0
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Full season projectionsREC 62.0REC YDS 760.1LNG 39.0TD 3.0
Johnson was held without a catch on two targets Sunday against the Steelers. It was not an eventful homecoming for Johnson after spending the first five seasons of his career in Pittsburgh. He played 11 snaps and drew a pair of targets but failed to come down with either. Through three games with the Ravens, Johnson has one catch for six yards on 32 snaps and four targets. Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor remain the primary three receivers for the Ravens but there's a chance Johnson begins displacing Agholor once he gets more acclimated with the offense.
Johnson caught one of two targets for a six-yard gain in Thursday's 35-34 win over the Bengals. Johnson's only catch in his second game for Baltimore was a short gain on which he was unable to get out of bounds right before halftime. He played just five snaps (8 percent), putting him behind fellow Ravens wide receivers Zay Flowers (83 percent), Rashod Bateman (78 percent), Nelson Agholor (49 percent) and Tylan Wallace (19 percent). Johnson's role should grow at least some in the coming weeks, but it didn't help his cause to see both Bateman (6-54-1) and Wallace (3-115-1) playing huge parts in Thursday's victory. Johnson conceivably could be anywhere between third and fifth on the depth on the depth chart Week 11 at Pittsburgh.
Johnson went without a target in Sunday's 41-10 win over the Broncos. Johnson was a complete non-factor in his first game with the Ravens, as the veteran wideout played just 17 of Baltimore's 57 offensive snaps in the contest. His lack of involvement wasn't a huge surprise, as head coach John Harbaugh said heading into the game that Johnson would have a light role in his season debut after being acquired from the Panthers just days prior. Going forward, the 28-year-old should become a key contributor in Baltimore's passing attack once he becomes more acclimated to the playbook, but the move to the Ravens means that he won't be a focal option in the passing game like he was during his time with the Panthers.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said that he expects Johnson to play about 10-to-15 snaps in Sunday's game against the Broncos, Tracy Wolfson of CBS Sports reports. Harbaugh noted that Johnson is still familiarizing himself with the new playbook after the Ravens acquired him from the Panthers on Tuesday, so the veteran wideout won't be handed a full role right off the bat in his team debut. Eventually, Harbaugh envisions Johnson providing a field-stretching weapon who's capable of burnishing the depth at receiver behind starters Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman. Johnson should eventually settle into a regular spot alongside Flowers and Bateman in three-receiver sets, but Johnson is unlikely to see the steady volume in the passing game he enjoyed in Carolina, where he had been averaging 8.3 targets per game over his seven appearances.
Johnson (ribs) practiced with the Ravens on Wednesday, Ryan Mink of the team's official site reports. Johnson missed this past weekend's Panthers/Broncos game due to a rib injury, but after having been traded by Carolina to Baltimore, he's not even listed on his new team's Week 9 injury report. Johnson is thus in a position to play Sunday against Denver, but with limited time to absorb the playbook, it remains to be seen how heavy of a workload he'll see alongside fellow WRs Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman in his looming debut with the Ravens.
The Ravens acquired Johnson (ribs) and a 2025 sixth-round draft pick from the Panthers on Tuesday in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round draft pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. With the addition of Johnson, Baltimore will get a big upgrade in its receiver room at the modest cost of a one-round pick swap, and Carolina is also expected to cover a portion of the salary remaining on the 28-year-old wideout's expiring contract, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. After the Panthers acquired him from the Steelers in March, Johnson had been serving as Carolina's No. 1 wideout through the first seven games of the season, compiling a 30-357-3 receiving line on 58 targets while carrying twice for six yards. He missed the Panthers' Week 8 loss to the Broncos due to a rib issue, but assuming he's able to pass a physical, Johnson could be on track to make his Ravens debut as soon as this Sunday versus Denver. Though Johnson will benefit from a major improvement in quarterback play in going from Andy Dalton (thumb) and Bryce Young in Carolina to reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson, Johnson is likely to see a reduction in his weekly targets while he's part of an often run-oriented Baltimore offense that also features quality pass-catching options in Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Rashod Bateman.
Johnson (ribs) is ruled out for Sunday's game against the Broncos, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports. Johnson missed a trio of practices leading up to Week 8 action, and despite saying Thursday that he believed he'd be available versus Denver, the No. 1 wideout officially will be sidelined. Adam Thielen (IR, hamstring), who returned to practice this week, also has been ruled out, while second-year quarterback Bryce Young will start. That will leave Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, David Moore and Jonathan Mingo as the Panthers' top available wide receivers Sunday, with Johnson's next chance to take the field coming Week 9 against the Saints.
Johnson didn't practice Thursday due to a rib injury, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports. Johnson was listed as a non-participant Wednesday for non-injury-related/rest reasons in addition to the rib issue, but the Panthers' latest practice reports attributes his absence Thursday only to the injury. He'll still have another chance to log some practice reps before the Panthers potentially make a decision on his availability for Sunday's game at Denver. For his part, Johnson said after Thursday's practice that he believes he'll be ready to play this weekend, per David Newton of ESPN.com reports.
Johnson recorded one catch on three targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 40-7 loss to the Commanders. The Carolina offense had an abysmal performance overall, as Ja'Tavion Sanders was the only pass catcher to record more than two receptions. Despite putting up big numbers in most weeks with Andy Dalton under center, Johnson couldn't overcome his surroundings Sunday. Johnson should be safe for volume in most weeks, but given the volatile nature of the Panthers' offense, these types of showings will likely continue occasionally moving forward.