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Eric DeCosta has given Lamar Jackson a new target, after the general manager for the Baltimore Ravens traded for wide receiver Diontae Johnson. The Ravens sent a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft to the Carolina Panthers for Johnson on Tuesday, October 29.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo confirmed the trade and full compensation for the Ravens which included a sixth-round pick next year.
It’s a deal that gives the Ravens “one of the better separators in the NFL this year,” according to The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer.
If the Ravens can unlock the potential that made Johnson a third-round pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019, the league’s best offense just got better. Johnson’s presence will surely strengthen Jackson’s receiver corps and boost the quarterback’s chances of winning a third-straight league MVP award.
Diontae Johnson Another Target for Lamar Jackson
Jackson wasn’t short of playmakers before this trade. Not when he’s shared the backfield with two-time NFL rushing champion Derrick Henry. Not when Jackson has been able to throw to All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews and dynamic understudy Isaiah Likely.
If there’s a weakness, it remains at wideout. Jackson’s been targeting Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor.
Every member of the trio has big-play potential, but Bateman and Agholor were plagued by drops during Week 8’s 29-24 defeat to the Cleveland Browns. Jackson offered a mature response to those mistakes, but he’s playing the best football of his career, so the Ravens won’t want to waste it with receivers who can’t get open and make clutch plays.
Drops have also been a problem for Johnson, who’s been guilty of letting 35 catches get away during his career, per Pro Football Reference. Yet, the 28-year-old has also averaged at least 4.5 yards after catch in four of his six seasons.
Most of his best plays occurred in a Steelers uniform, like this 71-yard catch and run for a touchdown against the Ravens in Week 18 last season.
Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken can mix Johnson’s after-catch skills into the passing game and ensure the team turns this trade into another success for DeCosta.
Ravens Continue Mid-Season Tradition
Striking deals during the season has become an annual tradition for DeCosta. Fortunately for the Ravens, the front-office guru has usually got it right whenever he’s flipped draft capital to acquire veteran talent.
DeCosta’s track record includes landing All-Pro middle linebacker Roquan Smith from the Chicago Bears in 2022. Smith’s name stands out amid a six-year haul of adding established names to boost momentum during a season, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
Momentum stalled for the previously red-hot Ravens when they were stunned by the Browns and Jameis Winston in Cleveland. Dropping Johnson into the mix can add some impetus to an already dominant offense topping the league’s charts for yards and second in scoring.
The Monken-schemed and Jackson-led offense is going to be key to the Ravens’ Super Bowl hopes this season. So it makes sense to increase options among the unit, even though a struggling defense could still use some help ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, November 5.
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