Diontae Johnson went from playing for one of the NFL’s worst offenses to being part of one of the league’s best. Tuesday’s trade that sent him from the Carolina Panthers to the Baltimore Ravens is a rags-to-riches type moment, now on an AFC contending team looking to make a Super Bowl run. It also puts him back in the AFC after a seven-month vacation, with two games against the Pittsburgh Steelers on the schedule.
That thought isn’t lost on Johnson, who spoke with reporters Wednesday.
“I’m looking forward to that game, man,” Johnson said with a wide smile via the Ravens’ Twitter/X account. “But like I say, I’m focused on right now. Whatever game comes first before we get to that point, I’m gonna do my job and just keep appearing.”
Johnson and the Ravens will face Pittsburgh in Week 11. It’ll be the Steelers’ first AFC North game, the latest the team has ever gone to play a divisional foe. It’s also the start of four straight such contests for Pittsburgh in one of the quirkiest schedules they’ve ever had. The rematch will be played in Baltimore in Week 16.
Pittsburgh drafted Johnson in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Undersized and from a smaller FBS conference, Johnson became a No. 1 receiver and helped replace Antonio Brown. While he wasn’t the same elite player, Johnson was a nuanced and slick route runner who could get open. He had the ability to make some incredible catches, none better than his one-handed overtime snag in Week 1 of 2022, though drops and catching the “easy” ones proved difficult.
Diontae Johnson was seemingly shipped out by the Steelers because he was unhappy with the team. He and the team denied that Johnson ever requested a trade, but his frustration in the locker room was evident, even once getting into altercations with players and coaches. It seems obvious that the Steelers were attempting to reset their culture in trading Johnson away and got good value for him, landing starting CB Donte Jackson in March.
His time in Carolina was brief and reportedly rocky from the get-go. Equally frustrated with the Panthers’ struggling offense and failing to click with quarterback Bryce Young, the Panthers dealt him away as trade deadline sellers. Their compensation was meager: a fifth-round pick while also trading away a sixth-rounder. Given the predicted records for Baltimore and Carolina by season’s end, the difference in draft slot could be only 15 selections, with compensatory picks perhaps providing the biggest buffer.
Hardly a distant memory, Johnson knows how this matchup will go even if he’s on the other side of the fence.
“Just how hard we compete against each other. Getting football out, making plays, and everybody tackling. It’s a big rivalry game. So just being this side now, it’s different. I’m excited.”
Pittsburgh’s won six of their last seven games against Baltimore and have won three straight. Now, facing Diontae Johnson, the Steelers making it four-in-a-row just got a little tougher.
