The Baltimore Ravens suspended Diontae Johnson on Wednesday, December 4, bringing to a head a situation that had left the wide receiver increasingly “frustrated” with his new team.
Johnson has been suspended for “one game without pay for conduct detrimental to the team. He will miss the game against the #Giants after the bye,” per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
A statement from Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta revealed “Diontae’s suspension stems from refusing to enter our game against the Philadelphia Eagles. We will have no further comments on this matter going forward.”
That’s the what, but why Johnson was frustrated enough to not want to play has also been explained.
Diontae Johnson Had 1 Reason to Be “Frustrated” With Ravens
The 28-year-old “has been visibly frustrated in locker room after recent games. As a trade acquisition in a contract year, he’s wanted to be involved. Yet, he has just one catch (on five targets) for six yards in five games as a Raven. His offensive snap counts: 17, 5, 11, 6, 0,” according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
Johnson has been visibly frustrated in locker room after recent games. As a trade acquisition in a contract year, he’s wanted to be involved. Yet, he has just one catch (on five targets) for six yards in five games as a Raven.
His offensive snap counts: 17, 5, 11, 6, 0.
His lack of playing time is surprising since Johnson joined a Ravens offense lacking an obvious field-stretcher in the wide receiver room. Second-year pro Zay Flowers can win underneath and across the middle, while veteran Nelson Agholor also works well between the numbers.
What the Ravens and two-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson lack is a speedy deep threat on the perimeter. Johnson appeared to tick both boxes as a 5-foot-10, 183-pounder who had averaged more than 10 yards per catch every season since entering the pros as a third-round pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2019.
The trade with the Carolina Panthers was supposed to give the Ravens a dynamic separator, but Johnson has been strangely overlooked, much to the frustration of Jackson. His suspension clears up some of the mystery and perhaps explains why the Ravens were able to acquire Johnson for the lowly compensation of a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft.
Now the Ravens must look for different in-house alternatives to their lack of receivers capable of taking the top off defenses.
Ravens Need a Deep Threat
The problem is there aren’t many obvious solutions on the depth chart. Veteran Tylan Wallace is more useful as a special teams contributor, while rookie Devontez Walker has also struggled for reps.
Walker suffered a rib injury during preseason and has spent most of his debut campaign inactive. That’s a surprise since the 2024 fourth-rounder is a natural straight-line speedster who can beat coverage vertically.
Taking more deep shots would help Jackson and an erratic offense get back on track after some recent struggles in two of their last three games. The Ravens lead the league in yards and rank third in points, per Pro Football Reference, but Jackson’s unit scored less than 20 points during defeats to the Steelers and Eagles.
Expanding the passing game can change the fortunes of the offense. Jackson has averaged 8.3 intended air yards per attempt, but a burner who can go long would boost that number.
Finding one of those to replace Johnson before Week 15’s game against the New York Giants would be timely. Especially since the Giants “are the only team that has not had an opposing receiver gain at least 100 yards,” per Sports Illustrated’s Patricia Traina.
Missed this note yesterday: The Giants and Jets are the only NFL teams this season that have neither had nor allowed a 300-yard passer this season. The Giants are the only team that has not had an opposing receiver gain at least 100 yards.
The Ravens can use Derrick Henry to bulldoze a run defense that’s giving up a league-worst 5.1 yards per carry, but a true deep threat among Jackson’s receivers would be invaluable for the run-in to the playoffs.
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Suspended Diontae Johnson ‘Frustrated’ With Ravens for 1 Reason