Just over a month ago, the NFL consensus believed the Ravens obtained wide receiver Diontae Johnson for pennies on the dollar. A longtime member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina acquired the wide receiver in the offseason to give first-overall pick Bryce Young a reliable set of hands in the offense. He played reasonably well early in the season, hauling in 30 receptions for 357 yards and three touchdowns on 58 targets during his seven games with the club. However, the Panthers decided to sell the veteran at the trade deadline, sending him and a sixth-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens for a fifth-round pick.
This minor return shocked analysts across the league, as players like Davante Adams, Amari Cooper, DeAndre Hopkins, and even Jonathan Mingo fetched larger returns. However, the Panthers may have gotten the better end of this trade, as Diontae Johnson had yet another dud for the Ravens in a must-win contest against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Diontae Johnson Continues to Disappoint For the Ravens
Trailing the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North race, Baltimore needed to defeat the high-flying Eagles to have any chance of winning their division and hosting a playoff game. That didn’t happen, as the team lost 24-19 in a game highlighted by Justin Tucker’s missed kicks. However, Johnson himself didn’t help the team, as he finished the night without a single catch. This is disappointing on its own, but ESPN’s Mike Clay notes that the wide receiver didn’t play a single snap in the contest.
Diontae Johnson played zero snaps today.
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) December 2, 2024
Johnson’s inability to see the field is even more shocking when you realize Baltimore lost Rashod Bateman midway through the contest. Trailing for most of the game with only four healthy wide receivers, the Ravens had to throw the ball early and often and Diontae Johnson still couldn’t earn any playing time. Since joining his new team, Johnson has recorded just one reception for six yards on five targets. This is atrocious production made worse by the fact Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers are playing their best football without him.
Carolina’s Success
For the first time since T.J. Watt crashed into Cam Newton’s shoulder, the Carolina Panthers have a reason to be excited for the future. While the 3-9 club is nowhere close to competing, quarterback Bryce Young is starting to play up to his first-overall billing. Taking over for an injured Andy Dalton, the Alabama product is 2-3 since retaking the starting job and is coming off the best two-game stretch of his career.
After going blow-for-blow with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, Young followed it up by nearly pulling the upset on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Completing 26 of his 46 attempts for 298 yards and one touchdown, Young would have won the game without a last-second field goal drive by the Buccaneers and a Chuba Hubbard overtime fumble. The jury is still out on whether or not he can be a franchise quarterback, but he will have an opportunity to start in 2025. He’s doing it all without Diontae Johnson, who continued to falter on the Ravens and is likely costing himself a sizable payday in free agency.
Main Photo: Gary A. Vasquez – USA Today Sports
